


Eolaselan'mah Esayemah Eolas'esayelan - The Prophet will Seek Understanding

by pristinepastel



Series: The Prophet will Seek [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Autistic Inquisitor (Dragon Age), Explicit Language, Gen, Modern Girl in Thedas, Self-Insert, at least until i have the resources to make a conlang instead, enjoy that, for now it’s google translate icleandic, i’m adding oc pics as they show up, later there’ll be tarot cards sk, so you’ll know what they look like, sorry - Freeform, spirit cats don’t really know what cats feel like but they try, the people of thedas speak google translated icelandic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2019-10-19 19:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17607833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pristinepastel/pseuds/pristinepastel
Summary: As someone who’s a hundred pounds sopping wet, only five foot three, and barely strong enough to carry a laptop for very long, I have to wonder why I of all people got thrust into the role of inquisitor. I guess having prior knowledge of the series helps, or at least it would help if I could speak whatever language thedosian is.





	1. It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not really a writer, i’m a game design student who prefers drawing character concepts and imagining things visually instead of in words. so;; sorry in advance  
> also ye the thedosian language is google translated icelandic. i had to find a language that fit the aesthetic and i don’t have the mental processes necessary to learn it so. for now it’s google translate. sorry in advance icelandic readers

     My head is pounding, and my mouth is dry and sore. I feel like death. While I’m trying to gather my thoughts to think about what a weird dream I had after falling asleep wrong, there’s a huge bang and I jolt my head up straight. -CRICK- Ow. Wait, what the?

     Where am I? It’s dark and I’m having trouble seeing clearly. Blinking my eyes, I try to reach up to rub the sand out of them and notice my hands trapped in some sort of wooden handcuff. Sensing the beginnings of a panic attack rising in my rib cage, I recover enough of my vision to see two people coming towards me. As they approach, I hear the sound of scratching metal and notice the people with swords surrounding me. Hells, I should’ve noticed that first, what’s wrong with me?! And what in the nine hells is going on?!

     ...This is strangely familiar.

     One of the figures in front of me begins to circle behind me menacingly. Even at this distance, my eyes still haven’t adjusted to the bad lighting enough to make out their face. The figure brings their face so close to my ear the hair on the back of my neck stands on end, and speaks.

     “Segðu mér hvers vegna við ættum ekki að drepa þig núna.” While I don’t recognize the language, I definitely recognize that voice. No way. No no no way in hell is this happening.

     “Þingið er eytt. Allir sem sóttu eru dauðir- Nema fyrir þig.”

     Goddess, is this really happening?! Shit, how do I explain myself?! I can’t understand her, she’s not gonna be able to understand me-!

     “I- please! I’m sorry I can’t understand-“ She grabs my hand, yanking it up toward her.

     “Útskýra. Þetta.” Jesus Christ in a Casket shaped Cracker. Cassandra Pentaghast is a fucking force of nature.

     “I- I- I’m sorry, please, if there’s some way to explain I will, just-!”

     THAT DIDN'T WORK.

     “Segðu mér!!” Cassandra drops my hand and shoves me in the shoulder, I can see her going for her sword- but there’s Leliana.

     She pulls Cassandra away from me. She theoretically says they need me, I’m not sure I’m too busy trying to take my breathing speed a notch down from hyperventilation. I gulp, and look up at her as she comes over, terrified.

      “Manstu nokkuð? Geturðu sagt okkur hvað gerðist?”

     “I- I- Look, I don’t know if anything I say can help you until we get a translator, but I swear I’ll tell you everything I know once I find one, I’ll tell you all about the Elder One, The Breach, Hells even the Nug King, I promise, I-!” She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose.

     Cassandra interjects. “Fara í framhaldsskólann, Leliana. Ég mun taka þau í riftina.” She steps aside so the spymaster can leave the room, then approaches me again.

     I hold my breath, but she’s just switching my bonds for rope. I guess I really am taking on the role of Inquisitor, huh? I can’t actually say all the lines without the language barrier getting in the way, so I just give her a confused- and probably still terrified- look. She meets my eyes for a moment , then grunts and pulls me to my feet to lead me out.

     The light and cold air stab my eyes for a moment, then I can finally see clearly again. Good, I was worried my glasses were broken back there. Now I can look at the green, crackling, root of my current predicament.

     “.... Fuck you elder gods.”

     Cassandra throws me an intensely suspicious glare, then goes back to gazing at the breach herself. This is the part with the whole speech about the thing and how it’s making the hole in my hand bigger and how I’ll die if it doesn’t stop doing that, right?

     Except no, because she doesn’t try saying anything until it gives an example of how true that speech was. Oh goddess, that’s intense and horrible. Help.

     I collapse to my knees under the weight of the pain, and the Seeker kneels in front of me. I can kinda tell she’s trying to dumb down her speech to make me understand her, but it’s not really working, so instead I just try to pat her knee and meet her eyes strongly. I nod.

     ... Did that work? I can’t tell if that worked.

     She helps me up, and starts guiding me through the crowd in Haven towards the gate. After shouting to the guards to open it, she turns back to me, pulling out a knife.

     I flinch, but she just uses it to cut my wrists free. I always thought that scene was confusing. Why free the inquisitor from their bonds before their innocence is proven? I mean I know my hands should probably be loose to close the rifts, but why switch bonds at all in that case? Hm. Maybe she just wanted to make sure I wasn’t in range of any civilians before freeing me? Probably.

     I was so focused on rubbing the sensation back into my wrists- my left hand being a bit more stubborn- that I didn’t look up at her until she made one of her Disgusted(TM) noises.

     “Þú verður að vera handfylli, ég veit það bara.” And with that, she started crossing the bridge and I have to jog to keep up.

     In the meantime, I wonder what time of year it is here? I mean it’s cold and snowing, but this is the Frostbacks, mountain ranges always have snow and cold the higher you go. If I remember correctly, the inquisition captain in the Crossroads mentioned how it was getting colder, so maybe it’s fall or early winter? That would make sen-YEOWCH! I fall again, this time onto my side.

     Whimpering, I pull my hand in towards my stomach and rock for a bit to wait out the pain. I don’t have long though, Cassandra is already pulling me up again. She doesn’t say anything, but she does pay me on the shoulder in an awkward fashion so. Improvement?

     As we continue forward- with me lagging behind the Seeker as she power walks ever intently- she mutters to herself. I feel bad, I’m probably giving her a bad headache with all this miscommunication and- oh. I didn’t take my prozac today. Shit, that explains my thought processes right now. Ooh, maybe my stuff came with me when I fell out of the fade? Probably not, I’m wearing completely different clothes than my pajamas, but maybe some of my-

     Then the bridge we’re crossing explodes.

 

—————-

TRANSLATIONS

Segðu mér hvers vegna við ættum ekki að drepa þig núna. - Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now.

Þingið er eytt. Allir sem sóttu eru dauðir- Nema fyrir þig. - The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead- Except for you.

Útskýra. Þetta. - Explain. This.

Segðu mér!! - Tell me!!

Manstu nokkuð? Geturðu sagt okkur hvað gerðist? - Do you remember anything? Can you tell us what happened?

Fara í framhaldsskólann, Leliana. Ég mun taka þau í riftina. - Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take them to the rift.

Þú verður að vera handfylli, ég veit það bara. - You’re going to be a handful, I just know it.


	2. Trails of Thought and Sense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra and I finally meet up with Solas and Varric, and there’s foreign languages abounds. Also I try and probably fail to put into words what my hands feel like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for the nice comments! and yeah i hope to eventually get an actual translation into icelandic. for now i’ll be using google translate as a placeholder, and keep the translations at the end of the chapters for future reference.   
> first few chapters will be released pretty close together, but will probably become more spaced out since i still have classes to go to. if anything, the most likely “update” day will be thursday since that’s one of my free days. enjoy chapter two!

     The fall really hurt, even though I expected it. The impact knocked the air out of my lungs, and I started coughing, though I forced myself to look up and see the demons falling from the breach in front of us. Cassandra rushed forward with a shout which meant “Stay behind me where it’s safe,” if I remembered correctly. I didn’t have time to really think about it though, and before the demon closest to me could appear I frantically tore my gaze around to find something to protect myself with. In the game, the class you choose for the inquisitor determines what weapon appeared. Assuming that held true, I would be-

     “ WHY did it have to be a staff? I don’t know if I even have magic, how am I supposed to use this?!” Then again, do I really have time to rant? “ Fuck it, for now I’ll just hit things with it. Maybe that’ll summon my magical powers somehow? Eurgh-!”

     Narrowly ducking out of the way of what was surely a killing blow paired against my constitution, I started what amounted to flailing wildly with a giant stick. My cavemen ancestors would be so proud.

 

   “FUCK OFF, FUCK OFF- Wait did that hit?! Was that a hit?! Holy shit shit that’s- WOAH!” The fuck was I thinking?! This is no time for a running commentary, that hit did nothing, RUN.

 

     With a screech, I started running with nowhere to go, this way and that, hoping to tire the demon out or at least survive it until Cassandra killed the other one. Speaking of-

 

     With a squelch, the demon stopped chasing me as Cassandra shoved her long sword through it. Poor bastard. Hardly knew him.

 

     ... I should drop this before she gets mad. 

 

     As she turned to face me, I yelped and dropped the staff, which clattered to the ground. Cassandra said... something?

 

     “Þú ættir að halda því, ég get ekki verndað þig og - ekki rétt, þú skilur það ekki.” Sighing, she picks up the staff, and hands it to me. I’d been afraid she’d treat me differently than the inquisitor in game since we can’t understand each other, but maybe I’ll be okay? I knock my hand on the staff and give her a tense smile.

 

     She stares at me for a moment, then turns and starts walking further down the frozen river bank. Speaking of, it’s a good thing it’s so cold, if I’d fallen through the ice I wouldn’t have been able to swim to safety. I scramble to catch up to Cassandra before my mind could distract me anymore than it already has.

 

     While we walked, Cassandra handed me a small tied pouch. Taking a glance inside, I saw a few vials of red liquid. Those must be the potions. I guess it makes sense that they’d be smaller in real life, easier storage and all that. Plus the game probably made them bigger so players could see what their character was drinking easier. I tied the bag to my waist. 

 

     While I fumbled with the drawstrings, I saw a familiar plant out of the corner of my eye. Not sure how I recognized it so easily, but hey, if that’s the only super power I got then at least it’s a useful one!

 

     Cassandra watches as I snap the stalk of the Elfroot with my thumb nail and stuff it into one of my many hip pouches. I better make sure they let me keep this outfit, it’s so convenient! Not sure what Cassandra was thinking when I was doing this, but to be honest her perception of me can’t get any worse than it already is, right? So who cares.

 

     Continuing down the embankment, Cassandra suddenly stops me. She makes a big gesture of me staying put, and unsheathes her sword to run ahead. Looks like she noticed my combat efficiency was abysmal. Watching from a distance, I felt pretty damn useless. When this prologue is over, I need to start meditating and figure out what I should do. Nervously, I tapped my fingers against the staff. Goddess, I wish I had my scarf. I’d feel much better if I could stim. In what felt simultaneously like an eternity and a few seconds, Cassandra came back to continue leading me to the forward camp. 

 

     I was able to pick up more Elfroot on the way, as well as a few of the Deads’ belongings. Cassandra might think I’m being a bit insensitive for now, but hopefully I’ll be able to get this to Josephine later and she’ll send this stuff to the right families.

 

     When we started up the hill, I knew we were close. The white noise in my hand was getting more intense, and maybe starting to burn? Hard to tell, that might just be the cold since I’m only wearing one glove. But I could tell the rest of our party was up ahead. Cassandra was probably saying as much now, but I wasn’t really paying attention. Sorry Cass.

 

     Running ahead, we came upon what probably used to be part of the buildings leading to the temple, full of trials. Can’t remember that part of Origins very clearly. It was on fire like most everything else at the moment, shattered stone walls scattered about everywhere, and of course our other companions fighting a shitton of demons with the help of some... soldiers? Scouts? Doesn’t matter, I need to disrupt that rift. I can’t help fight, but maybe I can still help some other way.

 

     How do I describe connecting to a rift? I’m not very good at this. It’s like hitting your funny bone and immediately extending it, combined with shocking your fingers in an electrical outlet. There’s also this sensation of your ears popping, but in the center of your palm. Also, my joints cracked but that’s normal for me so that may or not be part of the anchor’s side effects.

 

     It was hard to focus on the connection while trying not to get into anyone’s way, but I did the best I could to dodge out of the paths of people and demons alike. I was getting pretty winded, and my lungs were feeling scratched up, but I kept going until the demons were gone and Solas could teach me the next step.

 

     That next step was apparently just wrenching my wrist a little bit further than I’m used to. 

 

     With a crack- the sound of the connection and my wrist combined- the rift was closed. My pulse pounded in my ears and my body felt warm and cold at the same time with the exertion of it all. Panting, I tried to pull myself together and looked back up at the others. I only caught the tail end of Solas’s sentence, probably the “key to our salvation” line.

 

     Still winded, and assuming talking would get the same result as earlier, I nodded in thanks and looked to Cassandra. Thankfully she took the lead, and spoke to the other two.

 

     “Hafa annaðhvort heyrt frá Leliana?”

 

     Taking the time to stretch my arm, I rolled my shoulder. The closing of that rift lessened the white noise a bit, but there was still enough there to distract me. Glancing around, I started to wonder. The red lyrium was growing in the temple, but there obviously isn’t any here, at least nothing visible. Maybe the stuff grows wherever Corypheus walks, like how Amaterasu leaves a trail of flowers everywhere in Okami?

 

     “Nei. Ég geri ráð fyrir að þú sért fanginn í musterið?”

 

     Solas and Cassandra are still talking by the time I finish stretching. Varric is giving me a look I can’t read, but that could mean anything. I’m not good with subtle expressions.

 

     “Já. Þeir virðast ... samvinnufélög, þó að einhverjar tilraunir til að spyrja þá hafi mistekist. Þeir virðast ekki skilja sameiginlegt af einhverri ástæðu.”

 

    Whatever Cassandra just said seems to have surprised the other two. Maybe it’s about my language barrier? If I know Solas, this might get interesting. 

 

     “Er það svo? Hm.” He turns to me. Yep, I was right. “An’daran atish’an, da’len. Dirthas El’vhen?”

 

     “Uhh... what was the word for no again? Shit I wish I had my phone, I had that lexicon thingy... uh... Ir, ir abelas?”

 

     ....

 

     He winces, and goes back to talking to Cassandra. Oh well, I tried. Now, back to that thought. If Corypheus spreads red lyrium wherever he goes, what’s the point of harvesting it from corpses? Unless there’s a limit to how much he can make, or maybe he has to break pieces off and plant them like seeds? 

 

     ...That’s a weird image.

 

     Varric is chuckling. I wonder why?

 

     “Skiptir engu. Cassandra, þú ættir að vita, galdur brotsins er ólíkt því sem ég hef séð. Fanginn þinn er ... skrýtinn, en mér finnst erfitt að trúa jafnvel vel þjálfaðir mæður með slíkan kraft.”

 

     “Skilið.” Hm? Oh, I think they’re almost done talking. Dusting the snow off my head, I wait for them to finish, when Varric suddenly pokes me in the arm.

 

     “Ow. What is it?” I turn to look at him, rubbing my elbow. 

 

     “Hefur ekki haft tækifæri til að kynna þig, ég veðja. Ég hef byrjað. Ég er Varric. Var-ric. Þú?” Oh. He wants to know my name? I mean he’s making a big show of emphasizing his, so...

 

     “Nice to meet you Varric. I’m Pristine- erm. Purr-Is-Teen.”

 

     “Pristine, eh? Ánægja að vinna með þér. Fyrir hversu lengi heimurinn er, samt.”

 

———

Translations:

 

Þú ættir að halda því, ég get ekki verndað þig og - ekki rétt, þú skilur það ekki. - You should hang onto that, I can’t keep protecting you and- oh, right, you can’t understand.

 

Hafa annaðhvort heyrt frá Leliana? - Have either of you heard from Leliana?

 

Nei. Ég geri ráð fyrir að þú sért fanginn í musterið? - No. I take it you’re taking the prisoner to the breach?

 

Já. Þeir virðast ... samvinnufélög, þó að einhverjar tilraunir til að spyrja þá hafi mistekist. Þeir virðast ekki skilja sameiginlegt af einhverri ástæðu. - Yes. They seem... cooperative, though any attempts to question them have failed. They don’t seem to understand Common for some reason.

 

Er það svo? - Is that so?

 

An’daran atish’an, da’len. Dirthas El’vhen? - Greetings, young one. Do you speak Elvhen?

 

Ir abelas? - Sorry?

 

Skiptir engu. Cassandra, þú ættir að vita, galdur brotsins er ólíkt því sem ég hef séð. Fanginn þinn er ... skrýtinn, en mér finnst erfitt að trúa jafnvel vel þjálfaðir mæður með slíkan kraft. - No matter. Cassandra, you should know, the magic that created the breach is unlike any I’ve seen. Your prisoner is... strange, but I doubt even well trained mages could have that power.

 

Skilið. - Understood.

 

Hefur ekki haft tækifæri til að kynna þig, ég veðja. Ég hef byrjað. Ég er Varric. Var-ric. Þú? - Haven’t has the opportunity to introduce yourself, I bet. I’ll start. I’m Varric. Var-ric. You?

 

Ánægja að vinna með þér. Fyrir hversu lengi heimurinn er, samt. - Pleasure to work with you. For as long as the world still exists, anyway.


	3. Sun Breaks Through the Fog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is my sunshine child doing here? Who knows! I’m just glad I didn’t kill her by taking her place to be honest. Of all people, a person with two spirit companions named Intuition and Insight is the perfect candidate to translate for me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have i mentioned i’ve been writing all these chapters using the notes app on my phone? cus that’s what i’ve been doing. also writing these gives me empathetic pains for my other self, that’s a lot of running around for a waif.  
> this is a shorter chapter, to fit a short scene in the game. the next ones will be longer, i promise. probably.

 

 

    The rest of the trip to the forward camp went about as smoothly as the first part. We find demons, the others engage, In left kind of whimpering behind cover. After closing the rift in front of the entrance- at least I’m getting better at that part- we finally arrive. Let’s see, there’s the potions cache, there’s the chest, there’s the wounded soldiers and Shiloh, theres Leliana and Cha- wait.

 

     I do a double take. There’s no way, right? How could Shiloh be here?! How could my sweet summer child inquisitor be here, when I’ve quite obviously taken her place??

 

     Not noticing my current existential confusion, Varric lights up and goes over to get Shilohs attention.

 

     “Hey krakki! Þú gerðir það eftir allt! Ég viðurkenni að ég var áhyggjufull þegar uppsveiflan fór og gat ekki fundið þig.” She turns, surprised, then her face splits into that adorable grin of hers and I start feeling like maybe things will turn out ok. I mean she has Intuition and Insight to help her, and once the breach is put on hold, maybe she can translate for me.

 

     “Varric! Þú ert hér! Ég er svo ánægð að sjá þig!” She gives him a huge hug. I kind of feel out of place, just me and Solas off to the side and Cassandra going over to the Chancellor and Leliana- oops, I should probably follow her, huh. 

 

     I sigh slightly, then go after her. Hearing quiet footsteps behind me, I can only assume Solas came to the same conclusion.

 

     I get there in time for the tail end of Leliana and Roderick’s argument, and of course that prompts the whole “I order you to bring the heretic to the Vatican and behead them” line. 

Paraphrasing, of course.

 

     Then everyone starts arguing about the role of church and military, and what route to take to the temple- Shit, how do I tell them to take the mountain path if they can’t understand?! Balls, balls, balls-

 

    “Ef ég má skera inn?”

 

     Shiloh you goddess-given miracle girl.

 

     She smiles and turns to me. “Hvar finnst þér að við ættum að fara?”

 

     Cassandra sighs. “Reyndar veit ég að þú ert að reyna að hjálpa en þeir geta ekki skilið hvað þú-“

 

     Varric interjects, cutting her off. “Núna, Seeker. Shiloh hefur leið með fólki. Gefðu henni tækifæri.”

 

     Shiloh smiles at him in thanks, and looks at me again. Can she tell that I know how this all started, what’s going to happen? Either way, there’s only one answer from me.

 

     I point at the mountain.

 

Cassandra gapes, and Solas looks on with a raised eyebrow. Varric looks a little smug.

 

     Shiloh claps once. “Frábært! Þá er það þar sem við förum.” Spinning around, she gestures forward. “Til fjallsins!” She giggles and starts leading the way.

 

     Goddess what would I do without this kid. I sigh in relief with a tired smile and follow her.

 

     The hard part- at least when it comes to communicating- is over for now. It’s all physical from this point forward.

 

     Behind me, I hear Roderick’s last line.

 

     “Á höfði þínum verða afleiðingar, leita.” 

     Focusing on the task at hand, I follow the True herald up the mountain.

 

———

Translations:

 

Hey krakki! Þú gerðir það eftir allt! Ég viðurkenni að ég var áhyggjufull þegar uppsveiflan fór og gat ekki fundið þig. - Hey kid! You made it after all! I’ll admit I was a bit worried when the boom happened and I couldn’t find you.

 

Varric! Þú ert hér! Ég er svo ánægð að sjá þig! - Varric! You’re here! I’m so happy to see you!

 

Ef ég má skera inn? - Mind if I cut in?

 

Hvar finnst þér að við ættum að fara? - Where do you think we should go?

 

Reyndar veit ég að þú ert að reyna að hjálpa en þeir geta ekki skilið hvað þú- - Really, I know you’re trying to help but they can’t understand what you’re saying-

 

Núna, Seeker. Shiloh hefur leið með fólki. Gefðu henni tækifæri. - Now now, Seeker. Shiloh has a way with people. Give her a chance.

 

Frábært! Þá er það þar sem við förum. - Perfect! Then that’s where we’ll go.

 

Til fjallsins! - To the mountain!

 

Á höfði þínum verða afleiðingar, leita. - On your head be the consequences, seeker.


	4. Ladder to Exhaustion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m which ladders are the bane of my existence i’m terms of body and pride, and I really need to stim.  
> Also more demons.  
> And rifts are kind of pretty, actually?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’ve always wondered what the little hole in the center of closable rifts is looking at. looks interesting. enjoy!

     Varric was right about the breach being a long way up. I was definitely starting to feel the strain now. I don’t usually walk around that much, my dorm is literally across the street from the school. I wonder if my sketchbook and supplies came with me?

 

     The mine is accessed by a set of ladders, one after the other, and I had difficulty climbing them. The mark was part of the problem, yeah, but even without it my hand is numb and my shoulders are exhausted by swinging that staff around earlier. My lungs are starting to feel cracked and raw on the inside, and my nose hurts from breathing in the cold air.

 

     I keep questioning why I was brought here. Did Corypheus know where I’m from? Did he bring me here, or someone else? Andraste, Mythal? My goddess? If so, why? Why me? I’m barely physically strong enough to lift a chair, let alone the mark. Did they take that into account, or did they think I wouldn’t die in the first day? Cus I’m pretty sure this might kill me. I’m literally a stick.

 

     Solas is asking about the mine, I think. I don’t actually know why he was so curious about it. I’m pretty sure he was genuinely asking, since his guess was an easy one to make. We’re in the mountains, mines are likely. Maybe he’s just making small talk? I wouldn’t put it past him if he was just trying to distract himself from his thoughts right now. I’m pretty stressed by my involvement myself. 

 

     I struggle my way up to the top of the last ladder, and see everyone waiting for me there. Geez, really putting a point on my guilt, there. Shiloh gives me a hand getting onto solid ground, and Cassandra scouts ahead. Speaking of Shiloh, I can’t see her familiar anywhere. I hope Crackers is ok, they’ve been through a lot together. I know I miss my cat.

 

     When Cassandra shouts, the others rush in to engage the demons in the entranceway to the cavern. I pace a little just outside, looking at the mark while clutching the staff with my main hand. I keep thinking about what I should do when we get to Haven- or. I really should be saying if, there’s no guarantee I’ll survive that long. In game, the inquisitor is in much better shape and has the ability to defend themselves. I don’t, so if I want to survive long enough to seal the breach completely and warn everyone about Corypheus, I need to plan this properly. This would be a lot easier if I could stim right now. Or had music. I start humming to focus. Can’t remember the lyrics to this one, I don’t speak japanese, but at least the mood of the song fits my state of mind right now. Cyber Thunder Cider has a good beat to it and it’s urgent enough, so. It’ll do. 

 

     When the others regroup after the fight is over, we continue further into the mine. It’s really quite beautiful in here, too bad there’s not enough time to really settle in. If I had my phone I’d take a picture. Ice is really pretty.

 

     We come across the “treasure room” pretty easily. Solas lights the torch and we take a little time to rummage for supplies. While they do that, I skim through the scrolls there a bit. We never read them in game, so I was curious. Hm. That’s a lot of weird vowels. No wonder Fenris had trouble learning how to read. And then it hits me. I’m gonna have to learn this new language well enough to speak it, read it, and write it if I’m going to be inquisitor. Goddess help me, I’m a kindergartner again. I’m not prepared for this. 

 

     I pocket one of the smaller books out of curiosity- no idea what it says but maybe I can use it to practice later? A good starting point. Here’s hoping it’s not an academic text or poem.

 

     We continue through the icy corridors. I’m surprised it’s not that slippery, the ice is actually rough here. I wonder why that is? It looks smooth, but it’s a different texture. Maybe this mine was partially flooded and when it froze the water just stopped without settling? We take one final sweep- I gather the materials from that one bag near the guardrails- and go up the stairs carefully and quietly. No one has really said anything since the ladders, I can’t tell if it’s because we’re all tense or because we don’t want to draw the demons’ attention, but we’re all quiet (except for the combat noise of course) until we exit the mine.

 

     Earlier, it hadn’t really sunk in that I’ve been seeing a lot of corpses today, but something about listening to everyone’s tone has finally made it set in. Holy shit, those are dead bodies. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.

 

     I’m shaken out of my realization by Varric gently shoving me forward to keep walking. I need to put that aside for a bit, need to focus on preventing myself from seeing these scouts as more corpses.

 

     The first wave of the rift is dealt with easily enough. I feel better when there’s actually a rift to deal with, I feel like I’m actually contributing here. The second wave was a doozy. Terror demons are... well, terrible. It’s hard to tell in game, but the screams aren’t actually screams, they’re vibrations that make noise. .... I realize that all sounds are vibrations, but what I mean is they’re not using recognizable voices. They sound like scratching paper and glass feels. And that is, again, terrible.

 

     The whole jumping out of the ground thing isn’t helping either. I try to keep my focus on disrupting the rift while also avoiding their little spawn areas, but I get close to being eviscerated more than once. I feel like I’m getting faster actually, but that might be the adrenaline making me hallucinate or something.

 

     There’s a really close call when I misstep and get too close to one of the spawn areas and get blown back. The demon raises its claw to slash at me, but Cassandra rushes in to parry it with her shield. Shiloh helps me up and uses a bit of what I assume is healing magic to patch up a few of my scrapes and I get back to dodging. 

 

     This whole dodge, disrupt, repeat thing is really making me tired, and I’m relieved when the rift changes shape to show I can finally close it. It’s interesting how it shifts like that- when it’s blocked, it looks like a glitches out 3d model, with all the polygons interlacing and overlapping each other in different directions and almost twitches like its... itchy somehow? Like when you shiver and there’s a weird sensation of your hair standing on end. Then when it’s disrupted, it’s stretched open like canvas on a panel, and the corners pinch out like they’re pinned to the ground. And when it’s ready to be closed, you can almost see a different place through it, but it doesn’t look like the fade we go to in game. It almost looks like the Eluvian network in Trespasser, actually. And then fade-material stuff drips out of it like a leaky faucet with contaminated gooey water. It sounds gross that way, but it looks kind of cool actually.

 

     And when it’s over, it implodes. Goddess, the myth busters would _love_ this stuff.

 

     Solas inspects my work and nods approvingly. Sealed as before, I guess I’m getting better at this. I look over at Cassandra helping the scout, who I assume is the leader, up from the ground. They talk for a bit, and Cassandra must mention me because the scout looks over at me. She always looks so surprised. The people in the prologue really don’t expect me or whoever the inquisitor to be helpful yet. 

 

     I smile awkwardly and give a little wave. I give the patented “I don’t know what’s going on but I hope it’s good” emote. I have nothing else to give.

 

     Once the scouts run off to regroup at the forward camp, it’s time for the final stretch. Oh goddess, more ladders. It’s always worse going down. I think the others have noticed my issues with this sort of thing by now, because Varric pats me on shoulder in support, and possibly solidarity. I’m pretty sure he’s not a fan of heights either, if I’m remembering this right. Or depths. Or  hills. Or snow. Or rain.  Or sand. Or any climate that isn’t temperate. 

 

     I can relate, but I’m not confident enough to get away with telling everyone that yet.

 

     After slowly waiting for me to get down the ladders, we finally set off on the path to the temple. Goddess give me the self control to not have to puke. I know what it looks like in game, but I’ve already learned that the game doesn’t even come close to the senses assaulting me here. Thankfully, the cold has taken care of at least one of those senses. I’m probably going to have sinus issues for a couple days, but no smelling burnt flesh! Score for me.

 

     Cassandra speaks up a bit. I haven’t really been paying attention to what people have been saying since I know I can’t understand them, but that’s still kind of rude. I’ll try my best to pay attention from now on. 

 

     “Það er þar sem þú gekk út úr hverfinu og hermennirnir fundu þig.” Ah, I think I know this line actually! Now that I think about it, I always got annoyed by it because she says it twice, the first time before the bridge collapses. I’ve tried to cut her off a couple times, but I couldn’t because I also liked making sure those npcs running across the bridge made it to the other side before I got on so they wouldn’t get caught in the explosion. Actually I don’t think she said it back then this time. Thank the Goddess.

 

     “Þeir segja að það væri kona í riftinni að baki þér. Enginn veit hver hún var.” Don't worry, I know who she was and that’s enough for me. Well. I probably know who she was. Probably.

 

     “Þýðir það að aðrir séu fastir í hverfinu, eins og þeir væru?” And now that Shiloh’s added her own commentary, I’ve lost any bearings I might have had in this conversation.

 

     “Það er... mögulegt. Þó ef það er, efast ég um að þeir hafi lifað lengi.” Solas has entered the ring with a doubtful expression and tone. I have no clue what’s going on. I sigh wearily.

 

     But the conversation is soon over, as we finally get close enough to see... Jesus christ that’s some really intense gore. But... I’m not as affected as I feared I’d be, so... I’ll. Be ok for now. Later I’ll have time to worry about wether I’ve been sent into shock, but there are bigger issues to focus on right now.

 

    _Issues like that_ , I think as we come into view of the biggest and glitchiest looking rift I’ve seen so far. 

 

     I gulp.

 

———

Translations:

 

Það er þar sem þú gekk út úr hverfinu og hermennirnir fundu þig. - That is where you walked out of the fade, and our soldiers found you.

 

Þeir segja að það væri kona í riftinni að baki þér. Enginn veit hver hún var. - They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was.

 

Þýðir það að aðrir séu fastir í hverfinu, eins og þeir væru? - Does that mean there are more people trapped in the fade, like they were?

 

Það er... mögulegt. Þó ef það er, efast ég um að þeir hafi lifað lengi. - It’s... possible. Though if there are, I doubt they’ve survived this long.


	5. Monologue before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corypheus has an odd dual-tone effect to his voice, which I’ll admit through gritted teeth is a little cool.  
> Also, nickname!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i kind of felt it’d make more sense if corypheshit was using some translation magic in his voice, he’s from ancient tevinter so why would he know modern common? so. icelandic-latin combo. i tried to give it an echo effect by adding spaces before and after he talks.

Again, I should emphasize how woefully unprepared I am to do this sort of thing. A list of my attributes are as follows:

 

-5’3” and 98 pounds. I’m literally bone, gristle, and prominent veins.

 

-Easily winded and not used to physical labor.

 

-Art student and introverted. I’m not ready to be a leader, I have no experience in politics and I’m barely able to hold eye contact for ten seconds without starting to feel terrible inside.

 

-Autistic, Anxious, and Depressed. I don’t know if I can keep up with the needs of the world without breaking down and making some sort of miscommunication or mistake, and all the inner circle have their own issues that I’ll have to help them with. I’m 99% sure I won’t be able to deal with that properly without neglecting myself, especially if my stuff didn’t actually come with me. If I don’t have those, I won’t be able stim or take my meds. That would Not end well.

 

-Lactose intolerant. The smell of cheese makes me nauseous. This probably won’t come into play as much as in the game, I doubt the easter eggs actually exist here, but there’s still a chance and if I encounter that I’m going to scream out of sheer confusion.

 

     I’m not ready for this. I’m not ready for any of this. But that doesn’t matter because Cassandra has already told Leliana to place her men around the temple and I’m being given the scariest pep talk I’ve ever had and I need to breath help.

 

     I come back to myself still staring at the breach and Shiloh rubbing my back. She’s so sweet. I love this kid.

 

     .... These people have no idea I’m twenty one, now that I think about it. Huh. Oh well. Less important. I’m not really a drinker anyway, and even if I was Im pretty sure they don’t have a legal drinking age in Thedas.

 

     I take a deep breath, and turn to face everyone. Jesus, Solas looks grim. And Cassandra. Ok I need to do this. I gulp again, and start to walk mechanically through the temple walkway. Soon, we’re going to here Corypheus. And... past me. Maybe If I pay attention, I can tell if anything’s changed. 

 

 

     “Nú er klukkan á sigri okkar.

     Nunc est hora nobis victoriam.”

 

 

     ... Oh wow that sounded kind of cool. I always thought it was weird how he spoke modern fereldan in the game. Turns out he’s using a translation magic of some sort! Intriguing. It’s like a song where they have two tracks using different speakers.

 

     We continue down the side path, and Varric stops short at what we see.

 

     “Þú veist þetta efni er rautt lyrium, umsækjandi.” he says to Cassandra out of the corner of his mouth.

 

     “Ég sé það, Varric.”

 

     “En hvað er það að _gera hérna?”_

 Solas intercedes _. “_ Galdur gæti hafa dregið á lyrium undir musterinu, skemmt það.”

 

     Shiloh pitches in with a question of her own. “Ég var að vonast til að rauða lyrium Hawke fannst eintölu mál. Þú ert að segja smitandi þess?”

 

     “Hins vegar fékk það hér, það er illt. Hvað sem þú gerir, ekki ... snerta það?” Varric trails off, as he watches me hug the wall furthest from the outcropping of red lyrium and shuffle past it like I’m on the edge of a cliff face and terrified of heights. Which, I kind of am on the edge of a cliff, just facing the other way, and I definitely am terrified of falling in any direction but especially towards the corrupted blood of titans.

 

     .... There’s a thought. What if the elder gods made the blight to fight the dragons eons ago and the only reason it spread to the surface was because of the ancient magisters? Thought for another time, avoid the bad thing.

 

     The others finally follow me around the red lyrium to safety- Varric and Shiloh follow my lead with the wall shimmy actually, which is kinda funny to be honest. I’m doing this because I don’t know how it’ll affect a person who’s never been near lyrium or magic before, these two are a bit more prepared and stronger than I am.

 

     When we get far away enough, Varric chuckles and pats me on the back. “Þú hefur góða eðlishvöt, Útlendingur.” Ooh, was that a nickname? I think I got a nickname! I feel happy now. Wonder what it is?

 

     The nice feeling is interrupted by Coryphefuck.

 

 

     “Haldið fórninni enn. Vertu viss um að spámaðurinn truflar ekki.

     Tamen sacra facerent. Et quaedam non facit prophetam interfere.”

 

 

     Feels like that was a longer line than it was in game. Something’s different?

 

      “Einhver, hjálpa okkur!” That’s Justinia.

 

     I finally take the small drop to the main chamber. The others are confused by what they’re hearing obviously, but I’m keeping my ears focused for the rest of the memory.

 

      “What is this?! Let us go!” Oh shit! That was me!

 

     Suddenly, the vision appears. I see myself restrained with some sort of bindings, watching Justinia be held aloft by the Elder One. I can see myself struggling against it to get free, and trying to get to her. Then, I somehow release myself and run towards the door. Probably to get help. Before I can though, I look back and hesitate.

 

     “I- I’m getting help!! Hold on-!”

 

     

     “Eftir þeim! Handtaka spámanninn!

     Post eos! Capere consilium Prophetae!” 

 

 

     “Oh shi-“ I see a flash- the vision ends.

 

     I was hoping for a bit more to go on, but I guess that will have to do. At least the rest of what happened I can guess at- Corypheus drops the orb, I catch it. But why was I there? How’d I get there? I mean obviously he brought me here somehow, but for what?

 

     Lost in thought, I’m startled when Cassandra grabs my shoulder. I think she’s forgotten the language barrier again.

 

     “Þú _varst_ þar! Hver var þetta? Hvað gerðist við guðdómlega? Hvað erum við að sjá?” 

 

     I respond the only way I know how.

 

     “Ahhhhh??” With confused vocalizations and a semi-panicked expression.

 

     “Endurspeglar það sem gerðist hér. Blekið blæs inn í þennan stað.” Solas to the rescue. Good, I’m a little dizzy now.

 

     “Hvað gerum við núna?” asks Shiloh.

 

     “Þessi rift er ekki innsigluð en hún er lokuð, að vísu tímabundið.” He says. “Með merkinu ættum við að vera að sjá til þess að innsigla það rétt og örugglega.”

 

     “Mun það ekki laða andann?” Asks Shiloh.

 

     Cassandra stiffens. Calling out to the soldiers, she yells: “Vertu tilbúinn!”

 

     Solas nods to me, and I gulp. Looking around, I see all the soldiers readying their weapons, and then I look back up at the breach. It’s time then.

 

     Jesus christ in a basket this is not going to be fun.

 

      I take a deep breath, nod, and stretch my marked hand to the rift. It’s resisting a bit more than it was with the others, maybe because this one is already closed. This must be what it feels like to open holes in the veil- Like simultaneously pushing opposing magnets together, and pulling apart velcro.

 

     I’m even being pushed back a bit physically, and need to plant my feet and push forward. I’m used to that at least, the wind in northeast ohio is strong as all hells especially when you weigh as much as a stack of newspapers.

 

     With one final pull-push, I wrench my arm bag and unplug the hole in the air. Like a comet, it rushes out and impacts in the middle of the room-

 

     “Oh. So that’s why it was stuck closed.”

 

     The pride demon was too big for the hole before I pulled them through it. That’s kind of funny, actually.

 

      Only it’s not.

 

      Because it’s a pride demon and it’s laughing ominously at me.

 

     And I now have to survive long enough to defeat it and stitch the hole shut.

 

      Fuck it bucket duck it.

 

     “Núna!!”

 

———

Translations:

 

Nú er klukkan á sigri okkar.

     Nunc est hora nobis victoriam. - Now is the hour of our victory.

 

Þú veist þetta efni er rautt lyrium, umsækjandi. - You know this stuff is red lyrium, seeker.

 

Ég sé það, Varric. - I see it, Varric.

 

En hvað er það að  _gera hérna? -_ But what’s it _doing here?_

 

Galdur gæti hafa dregið á lyrium undir musterinu, skemmt það. - Magic could have drawn on lyrium beneath the temple, corrupting it.

 

Ég var að vonast til að rauða lyrium Hawke fannst eintölu mál. Þú ert að segja smitandi þess? - I had hoped that the red lyrium Hawke found was the only one. You’re saying it’s contagious?

 

Hins vegar fékk það hér, það er illt. Hvað sem þú gerir, ekki ... snerta það? - However it got here, it’s evil. Whatever you do, don’t... touch it?

 

Þú hefur góða eðlishvöt, Útlendingur. - You’ve got good instincts, Foreigner.

 

Haldið fórninni enn. Vertu viss um að spámaðurinn truflar ekki.

     Tamen sacra facerent. Et quaedam non facit prophetam interfere. - Keep the sacrifice still. Don’t let the prophet interfere.

 

Einhver, hjálpa okkur! - Someone, help us!

 

Eftir þeim! Handtaka spámanninn!

     Post eos! Capere consilium Prophetae! - After them! Don’t let the prophet escape!

 

Þú  _varst_  þar! Hver var þetta? Hvað gerðist við guðdómlega? Hvað erum við að sjá? - You _were_ there! Who was that? What happened to the Divine? What are we seeing?

 

Endurspeglar það sem gerðist hér. Blekið blæs inn í þennan stað. - Echoes of what happened here. The fade bleeds into this place.

 

Hvað gerum við núna? - What do we do now?

 

Þessi rift er ekki innsigluð en hún er lokuð, að vísu tímabundið. - This rift is not sealed but it is closed, albeit temporarily.

 

Með merkinu ættum við að vera að sjá til þess að innsigla það rétt og örugglega. - With the mark, we should be able to seal it properly and safely.

 

Mun það ekki laða andann? - Won’t that attract spirits?

 

Vertu tilbúinn! - Stand ready!

 

Núna!! - Now!!


	6. Rush of Noise, Nothing, and then Something Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight was over in an instant, and now I’m back in Haven. I meet another member of my inner circle, and the real story begins. Corypheus, you made a huge mistake bringing me here! I’m going to save everyone, and you’re going to lose!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i always wondered what the servants name was, so i’ve given her a nickname for now. you’re probably wondering about my girls’ backstories after this one, but be patient, it’ll come up!
> 
> ... or don’t be patient and just look through their tags on my blog lollo  
> either way, enjoy!

 

 

 

     Ok ok ok it’s happening Jesus H. Christ that demon is huge. Gotta disrupt the rift the others can’t hurt them otherwise, run to the rift run to the DUCK run to the rift there. Disrupt it.... ok it’s disrupted for now. Watch the others to make sure they’re ok, they’re fine, the armors back up now. Disrupt again... Shit there’s the shades, run!

 

     Leliana is holding back near me, if I run to get them into her line of sight- oh that was fast. Run back to the rift, disrupt- ok. One more time, if I’m right this should be over soon. My hearts beating a mile a minute and I feel like I’ve been running twice as far as that.

 

     There’s an opening! Cassandra drew their attention! Got to get to the rift- disrupt- I see the others deal the killing blow out of the corner of my eye. It’s time! Close it! Sorry Solas.

 

       I pass out.

———

 

     I wake up, but not really. I pretend to still be asleep. I’d feel really bad if she got startled. I don’t consider myself very intimidating, but she gets scared no matter what the inquisitor looks or acts like so.

 

 

     I listen to her set down the crate of elfroot gently, then hear her footsteps around the room. Probably either tidying up or rearranging things. Then she pauses close by for some reason.

 

 

     I feel her tug on a bit of my hair. Oh yeah, I guess purple isn’t the most common color to have in a medieval fantasy, huh? Well at least she’s not treating me like a dangerous animal. Maybe she was just scared because she was afraid of getting in trouble for waking me up? No matter now, she’s leaving while I’m thinking about it.

 

     Maybe I’ll see her around? Wait there’s another person here.

 

    “Ah! Mér þykir vænt um lækninn, ég heyrði þig ekki koma inn. Ég var bara ... um. Ég flutti elfrootið sem þú baðst um.” The... servant girl? Shit, I don’t know her name. I can’t just call her servant girl. Maybe Freckle? Sure. Freckle sounds a bit embarrassed. I wonder who she’s talking to.

 

     There’s a breathy chuckle.

 

     “Ó! Ó gott. Ég er ánægð með að þú sért reið. Ég mun bara, um. Láttu þig í vincent nuna þína þá! Hafa ... góðan dag? Hægri.” Now Freckle is relieved. That’s good. That means I don’t have to get up to help.

 

     I hear her leave and close the door behind her. I’m pretty sure that other person is still there, why else would she-

 

     Suddenly I’m being poked in the forehead.

 

     “Eep!” My eyes shoot open, and I see-

 

     Jesus Christ the cast is getting bigger. I’ve really ended up in my own canon. Hello Osiria.

 

     I cough. She’s smiling at me with a raised eyebrow. Sheepishly, I laugh.

 

     “...Eheh. Hi.”

 

     She’s stopped smiling, and now looks slightly shocked.

 

     “Yeah, I... you’re the only person who understands me word for word so far. Shiloh gets the gist of what I say, I think, but...”

 

     She looks at me like she’s trying to figure out if we’ve met before.

 

     “Erm. I’m Pristine, nice to meet you. For the first time. We haven’t met, but I um. Know you? Kind of?”

 

     That expression I can’t decipher. She raises her hands to say something-

 

     “Um! No need to try that way, I only know the alphabet.”

 

     ...She gives me a flat expression and slowly lowers her arms.

 

     “.... Yeah so. I don’t know how this happened, but I think I fell into my video game canon somehow. I think it was Corypheus’s fault somehow, but I don’t know how.”

 

     At the name, her eyes widen and she shushes me.

 

     “... I’m pretty sure there are only three other people who recognize that name and they’re a little further away from this house so I’m not sure why you’re worried?”

 

     She doesn’t say anything. She’s mute, so she can’t anyway. But she’s saying a lot with her eyebrows right now.

 

     “Erm. I don’t want to put you into any awkward position so I’ll ask first just in case. Does it sound like I’m speaking qunla-“ She shakes her head, chuckling. “Yeah, I figured as much. The words in game sound nothing like english. Different vowels. So, you should probably pretend you can’t understand what I’m saying if you don’t want anyone to know where you... used to be from.”

 

     She looks away for a second to think probably, and then nods.

 

     “.... If the spymaster who I won’t name because it’s recognizable amidst gibberish is listening, she’s going to be very tickled by me  talking at someone who can’t understand me for suck a long time, heh.”

 

     She chuckles softly. Then she gets up.

 

     “Um! Should I, uh, get up now? And go to the Chantry, then? Because I can’t really do anything by myself yet.”

 

     She raises her eyebrows, then smiles, and gives me a hand standing up.

 

     “Erm, thanks.” She nods, and leaves. Explaining things to her later is going to be the easiest and hardest conversation I’m going to have about everything simultaneously. I sigh, and glance around the room before I g- BLANKET. 

 

     I race over- ooh, colors. Too fast, but duck it- and grab my blanket and smoosh it into my face. Oh stim blanket, how I’ve missed you.

 

     This is a good sign! If my blanket is here, my other things probably came here too! Like my phone, and my laptop- I probably should use those sparingly until we find Dagna. Don’t want to waste all my battery life in one go. But also, Sketchbook! Fluoxetine! Mental stability is close to being achieved!

 

     I wrap my blanket around my neck and shoulders as I usually do, and head out the door, picking at the threads to stim. Ahh, this is relaxing. Almost distracts me from all the whispering. And the whispering being a language I can’t understand makes it even less of an issue! Score for me!

 

     Picking my way through Haven- I’ll get those codices later, when I’m more adjusted and I’ve explained things to Cassandra and Leliana and the rest. Right now I need to get to the Chantry. The stairs are a little annoying, but I’ll think of them as practice for when we get to Skyhold.

 

     The ones there will be much harder to climb.

 

     Passing Threnn, I finally make it to the big doors of Haven’s center, surrounded on either side by Chantry sisters. I remember these two, they’re fun. I don’t remember hearing from them after Havens overrun, did they get out? They better have. I’ll make sure of it if it’s the last thing I do.

 

     Because that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to save them all. Fuck realism, these are good people and they deserve to live. Everyone deserves at least a chance. It’s going to take some shenanigans to sort out how to save both Barris’s templars and Fiona’s mages, but I’ll work it out. I have people who can help.

 

     Bracing myself, I push open the door. Ow, shoulders. Walking in now, I take in not just the sites, but the smells.

 

     It smells like a Cracker Barrel. Holy Fuck.

 

     Shaking off the nostalgia, I make my way through the main... lobby, I guess, of the chantry towards what will be the war room. I can hear Roderick and Cassandra arguing before I’ve even reached the door. I’ve heard this part multiple times, in the game I always wait outside until they’re finished before walking in. Fuck that, I’m too excited to get started helping out.

 

     I open the door, gently. Of course, Roderick only reacts a second slower than he would have if I’d opened it normally, but it’s still a slight confidence boost to have sneaked up on him, if ever slightly.

 

     “Keðja hana! Ég vil hana taka til höfuðborgarinnar fyrir réttarhöld.”

 

     “Horfðu á þetta og farðu frá okkur.” Thanks Cassandra! She notices the blanket with a slightly incredulous look. Hey, it’s cold, don’t judge me.

 

     I pluck at the blanket strings with a small smile.

 

     Roderick takes up her attention again, and the incredulousness easily melts into frustration and annoyance. 

 

     “Þú gengur hættuleg lína, leitandi.”

 

     “Eftir allt þetta, og þú trúir samt að þeir séu sökudólgur?” She asks, through gritted teeth and glare. Slightly different script, but I can roll with that. “Stöðugleiki þín myndi setja saklausa í keðjum.” 

 

     “Áætlunin mistókst, leitandi. Brotið er enn á himni. Fyrir allt sem þú veist, ætlaði hún það með þessum hætti!”

 

     If my guess is right, leitandi means seeker. Good to know.

 

     Leliana interjects. “Röddin í musterinu sýndu að þeir voru haldnir í fangelsi, sama og guðdómlega.” Her eyes narrow. “Nei. Einhver annar var á bak við eyðileggingu á leiðtogafundinum. Einhver heilagur átti ekki von á.”

 

     Roderick gasps, affronted. “Ég? Er grunur ?!”

 

     “Þú. Og margir aðrir.”

 

     He turns to sneer at me. I know you’re being cautious Chancellor, but geez. Do I really look like I can pull off that sort of stunt? If I stand up too fast I see stars. I couldn’t even open the doors to the chantry just now without hurting myself again.

 

     “En ekki fangi.” He says, sounding incredulous.

 

     “Hversu oft eigum við að fara í gegnum þetta ?!” Cassandra groans, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Þeir voru fangar, handteknir. Sama og guðdómlega. Þeir geta ekki verið sökudólgur.” She stomps off to the edge of the room. Oooh, is this it??

 

     “Það er ekki fyrir þig að-“

 

     I was right!

 

     THUD.

 

      “Þú veist hvað þetta er, kanslari. Skírn frá guðdómlegu, sem gefur okkur heimild til að starfa.” She encroaches into Roderick’s space, shoving an aggressive, pointing finger into his chest. “Frá þessu augnabliki lýsi ég rannsókninni endurbætt. Við munum loka brotinu, við munum finna þá sem eru mjög ábyrgir og við munum endurbyggja reglulega með eða án samþykkis þíns.”

 

     The chancellor looks vaguely frightened for a moment, glancing around nervously, before his eyes land on me and narrow. Looking between me and Cassandra, he finally gives up and storms out, slamming the door behind him. 

 

     Sighing, Cassandra leans against the war table for a moment, and we all stand in silence. I just now realized that since we can’t understand each other, we have no way to proceed with the original script from the game. After all, if the herald can’t understand common, how can they ask them to help?

 

     I’m fidgeting, trying to figure out how to fix that when-

 

     “Ah hah! Fyrirgefðu hvað ég er sein!” Shiloh you’re the best.

 

     “Frú Surana? Hvað er það?”

 

     Leliana sighs in relief. “Ég er fegin að þú ert hérna, það var að verða svolítið óþægilegt. Cassandra, ég bað Shiloh að stíga inn til að þýða fyrirætlanir heraldans fyrir okkur.”

 

     “Oh! Ég skil. Ég viðurkenni, ég var ekki viss um hvernig á að halda áfram.” Cassandra looks a little flustered. Wonder why?

 

     Shiloh giggles, and drops a hand on my shoulder with a smile. “Nú þegar brotið hefur hlotið fyrir nú, ætti hæfileika mína að vera aftur í fullum styrk. Ég gæti ekki hjálpað þeim að skilja orð fyrir orð, en þeir ættu að fá gífurlega hluti af hlutunum!” Wow, that was a long sentence.

 

     Leliana nods. “Gjörðu svo vel.”

 

     Shiloh spins me by the shoulders to face her, and closes her eyes. Feeling a little awkward, I also close my eyes. For a moment, nothing happens. Then-

 

      _Greetings_! _Hello_!  _Здравствуйте_!

 

     I get the mental equivalent of someone waving at me excitedly hiding a sign with my name on it in an airport.

 

      _Erm_... _hi_?

 

     There’s a rush of happiness. I’m doing this right, I guess!

 

      _Introductions_? _What_ _do_ _you_ _go_ _by_?  _Как_ _вас_ _зовут_?

 

      _My_ _name_ _is_ _Pristine_. _You’re_ _Shiloh_!

 

      _Correct_! _Amazing_!  _Ура_!

 

     I chuckle. She’s so excited, it’s adorable.

 

      _Requesting_ _assistance_! _Need_ _help_ _plugging_ _big_ _hole_!  _Давай_ _будем_ _друзьями_?

 

      _I_ _already_ _decided_ _to_ _help_. _I_ _have_ _information_ _about_ _what_ _caused_ _all_ _this_ , _but_ _I_ _can’t_ _explain_ _it_ _on_ _my_ _own_. _Could_ _you_ _lend_ _me_ _a_ _hand_?

 

      _Wondrous_! _I_ _made_ _a_ _friend_!  _Я_ _могу_ _вам_ _помочь_!

 

     The conversation is over for now. When I open my eyes, I have to blink away sunspots from my eyes at the sudden invasion of light. Shiloh is already clapping and happily relating my answer.

 

     “Þeir sögðu já! Þeir viltu hjálpa engu að síður! Þeir vita það, en ég get ekki sagt hvað ennþá!”

 

     Cassandra and Leliana are relieved. I think they were worried Shiloh wouldn’t be able to get through to me. To be honest, I wasn’t sure either. In fan fiction, sometimes the person landing in thedas is immune to magic for whatever reason, but thankfully that doesn’t apply here.

 

     “Þá er það uppgjör. Hjálpaðu okkur að laga þetta áður en það er of seint.” Cassandra reaches out for me, and I firmly take her hand and shake it. My knuckles crack in the process. Oops. Sorry, I’m fragile like that. She looks startled for a moment, but since I’m not actually in pain, I smile to reassure her. She gives me an awkward smile in return.

 

     The Inquisition has finally begun.

 

     ... I still need to explain things, but we’ll get there when we get there!

 

     ... Baby steps!

  

———

Translations:

 

Ah! Mér þykir vænt um lækninn, ég heyrði þig ekki koma inn. Ég var bara ... um. Ég flutti elfrootið sem þú baðst um. - Ah! I’m sorry Ms Healer, I didn’t hear you come in! I was just... um. I’ve brought the elfroot you asked for.

 

Ó! Ó gott. Ég er ánægð með að þú sért reið. Ég mun bara, um. Láttu þig í vinnuna þína þá! Hafa ... góðan dag? Hægri. - Oh! Oh good. I’m glad you’re not angry. I’ll just, um, leave you to your work then!  Have... a good day? Right.

 

Keðja hana! Ég vil hana taka til höfuðborgarinnar fyrir réttarhöld. - Chain them! I want them taken to capitol for trial.

 

Horfðu á þetta og farðu frá okkur. - Disregard that, and leave us.

 

Þú gengur hættuleg lína, leitandi. - You walk a dangerous line, seeker.

 

Eftir allt þetta, og þú trúir samt að þeir séu sökudólgur? - After all this, you still believe they’re guilty?

 

Stöðugleiki þín myndi setja saklausa í keðjum. - Your stubbornness would put an innocent in chains.

 

Áætlunin mistókst, leitandi. Brotið er enn á himni. Fyrir allt sem þú veist, ætlaði hún það með þessum hætti! - The prisoner failed, seeker. The breach is still in the sky. For all you know, they intended it this way!

 

Röddin í musterinu sýndu að þeir voru haldnir í fangelsi, sama og guðdómlega. - The voices in the temple proved they were a prisoner, same as the divine.

 

Nei. Einhver annar var á bak við eyðileggingu á leiðtogafundinum. Einhver heilagur átti ekki von á. - No. Someone else was behind the explosion at the conclave. Someone Most Holy did not expect.

 

Ég? Er grunur ?! - I? Am a suspect?!

 

Þú. Og margir aðrir. - You. And many others.

 

En ekki fangi. - But not the prisoner.

 

Hversu oft eigum við að fara í gegnum þetta ?!- How many times must we go over this?!

 

Þeir voru fangar, handteknir. Sama og guðdómlega. Þeir geta ekki verið sökudólgur. - They were a prisoner, captive. Same as the divine. They can’t be the culprit.

 

Það er ekki fyrir þig að- - That is not for you to-

 

Þú veist hvað þetta er, kanslari. Skírn frá guðdómlegu, sem gefur okkur heimild til að starfa. - You know what this is, Chancellor. A writ from the divine, granting us the authority to act.

 

Frá þessu augnabliki lýsi ég rannsókninni endurbætt. Við munum loka brotinu, við munum finna þá sem eru mjög ábyrgir og við munum endurbyggja reglulega með eða án samþykkis þíns. - From this moment, I declare the Inquisition reborn. We will close the breach, we will find those truly responsible, and we will restore order- With, or without your approval.

 

Ah hah! Fyrirgefðu hvað ég er sein! - Ah hah! Sorry I’m late!

 

Frú Surana? Hvað er það? - Ms Surana? What is it?

 

Ég er fegin að þú ert hérna, það var að verða svolítið óþægilegt. Cassandra, ég bað Shiloh að stíga inn til að þýða fyrirætlanir heraldans fyrir okkur. - I’m glad you’re here, it was getting awkward. Cassandra, I asked Shiloh to step in to translate our intentions for the Herald.

 

Oh! Ég skil. Ég viðurkenni, ég var ekki viss um hvernig á að halda áfram. - Oh! I see. I admit, I wasn’t sure how to proceed.

 

Nú þegar brotið hefur hlotið fyrir nú, ætti hæfileika mína að vera aftur í fullum styrk. Ég gæti ekki hjálpað þeim að skilja orð fyrir orð, en þeir ættu að fá gífurlega hluti af hlutunum! - Now that the breach has paused for now, my abilities should be back at full strength. I can’t translate for them word for word, but they should get the gist of things!

 

Gjörðu svo vel. - Go ahead.

 

Здравствуйте! - Hello!

 

 

 

 

Как вас зовут? - What’s your name?

 

Ура! - Hooray!

 

Давай будем друзьями? - Lets be friends?

 

Я могу вам помочь! - I can help you!

 

Þeir sögðu já! Þeir viltu hjálpa engu að síður! Þeir vita það, en ég get ekki sagt hvað ennþá! - They said yes! They wanted to help you anyway! They have information, but I can’t tell what!

 

Þá er það uppgjör. Hjálpaðu okkur að laga þetta áður en það er of seint. - Then it’s settled. Help us fix this, before it’s too late.


	7. Warm Fruit and Warm Buildings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I meant to go see Shiloh, but I have a drink with Varric and Solas first. I learn some vocabulary, and teach them something in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here’s a fun fact- i dislike the smell of strong alcohol. i really hate the smell of beer. it makes me nauseous. varric probably picks up on my constitution there, lollo

     After the inquisition was finally formed, I had a lot of free time while the others got the word out so I was at a loss of what to do at first. After a day of just resting in the safety of my new room and meditating on things while I stimmed, I decided the first thing I wanted to do was see if the rest of my stuff was in storage here or had yet to be found. I want my sketchbook and supplies at least, as well as my prozac. I’m fine if I have to wait for my laptop and phone for a while, I still need to find a way to charge them after all. No use in having a heavy slab of metal and plastic if I can’t use it, and I’m pretty sure my phone would run out of charge almost immediately if I wasn’t careful. I do miss my music and headphones though.

 

     The next day, I set out to find Shiloh so I could get my question slash request across. If anyone is storing my stuff here, it’s either Josephine or Leliana. Leliana because she’ll be curious or suspicious about the things I’m carrying, or Josephine because I’m pretty sure she’s the one who arranged for me to get my blanket back.

 

     While looking for Shiloh, I got waylaid by Varric. I waved, since that at least is a gesture that doesn’t need translated. Not sure what he wants.

 

     “Hey, útlendingur. Þú gerir það í lagi? Cassandra gefur þér ekki vandræði?”

 

     “Hi, Varric. I have no idea what you just said about Cassandra, but I hope it wasn’t too harsh. How are you?”

 

     “Ég ætlaði að fá mat í herberginu, ef þú vilt taka þátt.” He gestures towards Flissa’s place with his thumb. Ohh, food! I think I can wait for my stuff for a while. I am a bit thirsty after all.

 

     I give him a thumbs up, and he laughs. I follow him into the tavern. I see Flissa behind the counter, as expected, and I hear more than see Maryden. Her songs are just as pretty in this language. Speaking of, I wonder what kind of language it is? The scroll I picked up had a lot of runic-looking letters. Maybe norse?

 

     Also, can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this before, what are the other languages like? Is orlesian still french? What about antivan? Is it spanish or italian? Or portuguese?? Cus I only have a grasp on one of those, and I haven’t been using spanish since I graduated high school four years ago...

 

     Well, I might be able to say hello at least.

 

     Varric and I take a seat at one of the tables in the crowded tavern. Varric makes small talk while we wait- I feel like it’s just to make me feel at eases since he knows I can’t understand him. Oh! That reminds me.

 

     “Varric?” 

 

     “Hm?”

 

     “Cassandra... _leitandi_ , right?”

 

     He breaks out into a grin. “Ha! Þú ert að læra! Já, ég hringi í Cassandra _Seeker_ , hún er henni eftir allt.” Oh! good, I’m starting to get things now! The more words I learn, the easier I can guess at what people are talking about.

 

     Flissa comes around to our table, with a flagon for Varric. She notices me and startled a bit, but I wave with a smile and she calms down, I think.

 

     “Ég hef venjulega þína, Varric. Ég sé að þú hafir heraldið með þér!” That word sounds a bit like Herald, she’s probably talking about me.

 

     “ _Yeah_ , ég hugsaði að þeir gætu notað suma félagsskap.” At least yes and no are recognizable words. “Byrjaðu á okkur með eitthvað auðvelt að melta, Flissa.”

 

     “Á það!” She makes her way back to the bar through the crowded room. Varric turns back to look at me. He looks a bit calculating, I don’t know if that should worry me or not.

 

     “Hversu gamall ertu þá, útlendingur?”

 

     “Huh?”

 

     He taps his fingers on the table, probably thinking about how he can ask so I can understand it. Finally, he snaps his fingers.

 

     He points at me, then holds up his hands, his left hand pointing one finger, and the other with all the fingers spread out.

 

     ... Oh! My age!

 

     I hold out my hands, with my right hand pointing two fingers, and the left hand pointing one.

 

     Heh. He looks so shocked. I know, I look horrible for a 21 year old.

 

     “Það er engin leið að þú ert tuttugu og einn. Ég veit að menn eru á aldrinum fljótt, en það er fáránlegt.” Yeah, he doesn’t believe me for a second. Sorry Varric, you thought I was a teenager, but really I’m just a short, waifish adult! Jokes on you, ha! I’m the epitome of that one John Mulaney bit about the tall child looking terrible.

 

     He suddenly glances over at my shoulder.

 

     “ _Hey_ , grín! Geturðu trúað þessu? Útlendingar segja að þeir séu tuttugu og einn!”

 

     I look over, and see Solas entering the tavern. He raises an eyebrow.

 

     “Er það svo?” He takes a seat at our table. 

 

     “Það er engin leið, ekki satt?” They both glance over me.

 

     I snort and make a show of shrugging my shoulders. They don’t have to believe me, but once I can tell everyone what I know, maybe it won’t be so hard to understand.

 

     Flissa comes back with another cup for me, and notices Solas has joined us. She gives a flat look to Varric, who chuckles sheepishly. It probably would’ve been easier for her if we’d all just come in at once, heh!

 

     I inspect my drink, taking a sniff. Fruity? I take a quick taste. Burns a little but not too much. Must be a cordial or liqueur. Aw, Varric pegged my tastes! How nice.

 

     I sip some of it, while listening to the conversation. She’s asking Solas what he’d like to order, I’m guessing.

 

     “Nokkuð en te, takk.” I almost spit out my drink. What kind of tavern serves tea, Solas?!

 

     Coughing, I make sure I heard right. “Tea?”

 

     He makes a face. I was right. Goddess, you’re weird sometimes man.

 

     Flissa chuckles. “Allt í lagi, það er bjór. Ég kem strax aftur.”

 

     Varric laughs. “Hvað hefur þú á móti _tea_ , grínast?”

 

     “Það er alltaf _bitter_ , ógeðslegt.” Solas replies, with a shake of his head.

 

     Whatever language this is, quite a few words of it sound like english. It’s a start. I finish my drink- thank the goddess it’s not too sweet or bitter. Just right- and get up.

 

     “Hvert ertu að fara, útlendingur?”

 

     “Erm, Shiloh.”

 

     He nods, and raises his flagon in a relaxed salute.

 

     Heading out the door, I pull my blanket-scarf closer around me. That drink warmed me up, but it’s still chilly. I’m not sure where to head next, though. I’ll check the stables near Harrit, Shiloh loves animals. She might be there. Probably.

 

 

———

Translations:

 

Hey, útlendingur. Þú gerir það í lagi? Cassandra gefur þér ekki vandræði? - Hey, Foreigner. How are you? Cassandra not giving you too much trouble?

 

Ég ætlaði að fá mat í herberginu, ef þú vilt taka þátt. - I was just heading to the tavern for some food, if you want to come with.

 

Ha! Þú ert að læra! Já, ég hringi í Cassandra  _Seeker_ , hún er henni eftir allt. - Ha! You’re learning! Yeah, I call Cassandra Seeker, it is her job after all.

 

Ég hef venjulega þína, Varric. Ég sé að þú hafir heraldið með þér! - I brought your usual, Varric. I see you’ve brought the Herald with you!

 

_Yeah_ , ég hugsaði að þeir gætu notað suma félagsskap. - Yeah, I thought some socializing would do them some good.

 

Byrjaðu á okkur með eitthvað auðvelt að melta, Flissa. - Give us something easy to digest, Flissa.

 

Á það! - On it!

 

Hversu gamall ertu þá, útlendingur? - How old are you anyway, Foreigner?

 

Það er engin leið að þú ert tuttugu og einn. Ég veit að menn eru á aldrinum fljótt, en það er fáránlegt. - There is no way you’re 21. I know humans age quickly, but that is ridiculous.

 

_Hey_ , grín! Geturðu trúað þessu? Útlendingar segja að þeir séu tuttugu og einn! - Hey, Chuckles! Can you believe this? Foreigner says they’re 21!

 

Er það svo? - Is that so?

 

Það er engin leið, ekki satt? - There’s no way, right?

 

Nokkuð en te, takk. - Anything but tea, please.

 

Allt í lagi, það er bjór. Ég kem strax aftur. - All right, beer it is. I’ll be right back.

 

Hvað hefur þú á móti  _tea_ , grínast? - What do you have against tea, Chuckles?

 

Það er alltaf  _bitter_ , ógeðslegt. - It’s always bitter, tasteless.

 

Hvert ertu að fara, útlendingur? - Where are you going, Foreigner?


	8. The Difference Between Theory and Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I find Shiloh so I can ask about my stuff. I need to wait a bit, so I finally introduce myself to the Apothecary, Quartermaster, Smith, and Merchant while I do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jesus. so much talking in these last two chapters. there will be more and more words being recognized by me in the story replaced with english as we go, and the recognizable/replaced words will be italicized. and, as always, full translations at the end!

     On the way to the stables, I let my mind wander a bit. I have to wonder why I remember everything about the game from before I got here, but not remember what I was doing here during the prologue. Is the nightmare involved? I know that’s how the original inquisitor lost their memories from before the prologue. But I would have thought I could get around that since I’d be expecting it? Unless it all happened so quickly I couldn’t react... But then, how could I have gotten away from Corypheus in the first place? I’d obviously been his prisoner, and the vision ended with me surrounded by guards...

 

     I’m cut off when I reach the stables. 

 

     “Pristine! Þarna ertu! Hvernig hefurðu það?” I knew I’d find you hear, you medieval veterinarian you.

 

     “I need to ask Leliana something, but I need help doing it.”

 

     “Hmm... Þú þarft Leli svo þú getir gert eitthvað?” She links arms with me. “Ég skil! Ég fer með þér, þá.”

 

     “Thanks.” How much of this can she understand? Do her friends give her specifics, or can they only get the gist of things? “I wanted to ask her if my stuff was with me when they found me.”

 

     “Þú vantar eitthvað? Þú hefur rétt, Leli gæti fundið fyrir vantar hluti fyrir þig! Er mjög gott að finna hluti.”

 

     So maybe Leliana does have them? I guess we’ll see, we’re coming up on her tent now. I let Shiloh take the lead.

 

     “Leli! Pristine þarf hjálp þína að leita að einhverju!” She says, cheerfully.

 

     Leliana turns. “Ó? Hvað ertu að leita að?”

 

     “Ég veit ekki!”

 

     Leliana snorts. “Jæja, spyrðu þá þá. Ég get ekki lesið hugann.”

 

     “Allt í lagi!” Shiloh turns, grabs my shoulders, and closes her eyes. I follow suit.

 

      _What do you seek? What are you looking for? Что вам нужно?_

 

_I’m looking for the things I came with when I was found here. I have my blanket now, which is great, but I was hoping my other things came too?_

 

_Oh, I see. Got it!_   _Я спрошу!_

 

     She releases me from the mental link, and turns back to Leliana.

 

     “Þeir eru að leita að því sem þeir höfðu þegar við komumst að þeim!” 

 

     Leliana narrows her eyes, slightly. Oh no, is something wrong?

 

     “Er það svo? Jæja, segðu þeim að þeir verða að bíða meðan við reiknum út hvað þessi hlutir gera.”

 

     “Huh? Gætum við ekki bara að spyrja þá, Leli?” Shiloh seems confused. “Kannski eru þessi atriði hluti af þeim upplýsingum sem þeir voru að deila?”

 

     “Shiloh, það er ekki að við treystum þeim ekki. Við viljum bara ganga úr skugga um að hlutirnir séu ennþá óhætt að höndla áður en við skilum þeim aftur. The hverfa gæti hafa breyst þeim einhvern veginn.” Leliana sounds like she’s trying to placate Shiloh, who sighs.

 

     “Allt í lagi...” She sounds disappointed. Not good news, then. Shit, I hope my stuff wasn’t destroyed. My blanket was fine, but who knows what happened to my other things?

 

     Shiloh starts leading me away, so I make sure to turn and wave goodbye over my shoulder. It may not be good news, but it’s not Leliana’s fault.

 

     Shiloh addresses me. “Því miður, Pristine.” She sounds guilty.

 

     “It’s ok, Shiloh. I’ll be fine! I can deal with this. I can get new things-“

 

     She looks confused. “Huh?  _Oh_! _No_ , dótið þitt er _here_! _You_ verður... bara að bíða eftir að fá það aftur.”

 

     “Um? So it... it’s here? I couldn’t get the rest of that.”

 

     She giggles, sheepishly. Aww. She nods, then makes a motion as if she’s telling me to... wait. Oh! They must be trying to find out what my stuff does.

 

     .... Also cleaning some of it, I assume. My poor coat. I can deal with that! That’s perfectly fine, I can understand why they’d be curious. Besides, they can’t really use some of it- my phone has a fingerprint lock. They’ll have to ask for my help eventually. I can wait for that!

 

     I give a thumbs up to show I understand, and that it’s ok.

 

     She sighs, relieved. “ _Good_! Það er ekki það sem við treystum _you_ ekki, það er bara spurning um að ganga úr skugga um að allt sé óhætt!” I nod. “ _Ok_! Hvað viltu gera næst?”

 

     What do I do now? Hm. I guess I could meet the people who keep the inquisition running, and I tell her as much.

 

     “ _Ok_! Við skulum byrja með Threnn, _she_ er næst.” True enough, there she is now.

 

     We go through the general introduction to Haven mission, Shiloh translating my questions and using her mental link to translate the answers for me. We also finally find that cabin outside the gates, with the notes Adan needed. I got a brief introduction to how requisitions and crafting work- requisitions are basically the same as in game, though mining is a bit more complicated then picking up ore with my bare hands. Crafting is a shitton more complicated- basically I need a schematic- harder to find in real life since I can’t read-, materials- a bit harder to loot those in real life, I actually have to go through a combination of Seggrit, Threnn, and Josephine to buy them-, and I need to be measured, fitted, and then fitted again after adjustments are made. It takes a couple days total. Thankfully, or maybe not, I can’t handle the weight of heavy metal armor, so we’re trying out lighter kinds for now. The one we have Harrit start making for me is basically a modified enchanters coat- they let me pick out the material so I chose a purplish ring velvet- with actual sleeves over the under armor, which consists of a simple soft tunic with pants, and a pair of knee high leather boots. Which turned out to be the ones I was wearing when they found me- I guess some of my clothes were determined to be safe to return!

 

     As for weapons, everyone could tell I’m not really made for combat. So instead of a sword, or daggers, or a bow, they gave me a modified staff. We don’t know if I have magic yet, so it’s basically just a wood and metal stick with a softer cloth wound around the handle bit. It’s also got a bit of a blade on either end, probably so I can push enemies away while also doing damage without needing to hit them as hard.

 

     By the end of the day, I was exhausted from all the social interactions and walking around, not to mention the whole armor- and- weapon fittings. So when it was all over, I said goodnight to Shiloh, and went back to my cabin. Finally have that quest out of the way- I always prefer to finish it before the Hinterlands if only to get it out of the way.

 

     Undressing down to my underwear and overshirt- luckily I wasn’t wearing a bra when I got here, how embarrassing would it be if they tried asking me questions about that? Plus it would’ve made my body hurt even more than it already had during the prologue. I don’t tend to wear my bras anyway unless for special occasions, more comfortable that way.

 

     I got under the covers, laid my head on the pillow, and went to sleep. It only occurred to me while I was fading out that I hadn’t dreamed yet since I got here, but that was just about to change.

 

———

Translations:

 

Pristine! Þarna ertu! Hvernig hefurðu það? - Pristine! There you are! How are you?

 

Þú þarft Leli svo þú getir gert eitthvað? - You need Leli so you can do something?

 

Ég skil! Ég fer með þér, þá. - I see! I’ll come with you, then.

Þú vantar eitthvað? Þú hefur rétt, Leli gæti fundið fyrir vantar hluti fyrir þig! Er mjög gott að finna hluti. - You need something? You’re right, Leli can help you! She’s good at finding things.

 

Pristine þarf hjálp þína að leita að einhverju! - Pristine needs your help looking for something!

 

Ó? Hvað ertu að leita að? - Oh? And what are they looking for?

 

Ég veit ekki! - I don’t know!

 

Jæja, spyrðu þá þá. Ég get ekki lesið hugann. - Well, ask them then. I can’t read their mind.

 

Allt í lagi! - Ok!

 

_Что вам нужно? - What do you need?_

 

_Я спрошу! - I’ll ask!_

 

Þeir eru að leita að því sem þeir höfðu þegar við komumst að þeim! - They’re looking for the stuff they had when we found them!

 

Er það svo? Jæja, segðu þeim að þeir verða að bíða meðan við reiknum út hvað þessi hlutir gera. - Is that so? Well, tell them they need to wait while we figure out what those objects do.

 

Gætum við ekki bara að spyrja þá, Leli? - Couldn’t we just ask them, Leli?

 

Kannski eru þessi atriði hluti af þeim upplýsingum sem þeir voru að deila? - What if they’re part of the information they want to share?

 

Shiloh, það er ekki að við treystum þeim ekki. Við viljum bara ganga úr skugga um að hlutirnir séu ennþá óhætt að höndla áður en við skilum þeim aftur. The hverfa gæti hafa breyst þeim einhvern veginn. - Shiloh, it’s not that we don’t trust them. We just want to make sure these objects are safe to handle before we return them. The fade may have altered them somehow.

 

Því miður, Pristine. - Sorry, Pristine.

 

_No_ , dótið þitt er  _here_!  _You_  verður... bara að bíða eftir að fá það aftur. - No, your things are here! You just... have to wait a bit.

 

Það er ekki það sem við treystum  _you_  ekki, það er bara spurning um að ganga úr skugga um að allt sé óhætt! - It’s not that we don’t trust you, it’s just a matter of making sure it’s all safe!

 

Hvað viltu gera næst? - Where do we go next?

 

Við skulum byrja með Threnn,  _she_  er næst. - We’ll start with Threnn, she’s closest.


	9. A Brief Intensity Surrounded by Repose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I finally dream in the fade, and make some new friends. I also have a trial run of how my explanation to everyone else will go during a conversation with Solas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM ALIVE  
> sorry for not updating for a while, i’m still figuring out what a proper schedule is like to update this. also i’ve been busy with classes, but not so busy i can’t work on this too! enjoy

     As soon as I notice the fact I haven’t dreamed yet since I got here, I poof into the fade. Not like how most people dream in the fade- No, this looks more like how the fade shows up in origins with the Sloth demon. Basically, I’m in the remains of half of my bedroom back in my dorm. Very uncanny valley. Very fallout-like, even. Wonder what ohio looks like in that series? Maybe it’s an area you can travel to in fallout 76. I mean, West Virginia is pretty close, right? I think.

 

     I see a glimmer out of the corner of my eye. I turn, and see a small sparkly cloud. Ooh, is that a wisp? It’s a purple one! Very nice. Hello friend! 

 

     It shifts into a slightly different shape, I think that’s how it waves at people! Cute! It zips around a bit, then stops, hovering in front of one of the plushies on my bed.

 

     “Curious? That’s Cayde holding Colonel the chicken. they’re good people.” It floats around over my be, settling on top of a cat plushie. Awww. Adorable, but I kind of miss Molly now-

 

     There’s a rubbing sensation around my leg. I look down-

 

     Oh my goddess it’s a cat-shaped spirit. Oh goddess I could cry. This place is amazing.

 

     Ok ok, calm down. Don’t get too excited. Don’t want to draw too much attention. I pick up the cat-spirit, and sit on my bed with them on my lap. Alright, so I can dream here, That’s good! Some people come here without the ability to enter the fade. This gives me a place where I can sit and actually think without any interruptions. Wonder if I can walk between dreams..? Eh, I’m alright where I am actually. I don’t really want to risk that sort of thing. I mean, sure that’d be cool, but I’m not really good at... exploring in unfamiliar places without getting really anxious and panicky. And in the fade, that hurts more than just me. I pet the cat-spirit friend, whose name I don’t know yet. 

 

     Hmmm... I wonder. I get the feeling it was my inner voice that drew the wisp and cat spirit here, but I wonder if I can give them other cool things too, like... music maybe? Hm. What should it be? Don’t want to go too intense or morbid with the first one, and it should be one I know pretty well already. I don’t want to sing actual foreign lyrics that I can’t remember correctly without having the information on my phone. So. Hearse song, Walk On Water, and Yoi Yoi Kokon are off the table for now. Last one is a bit too fast for me anyway. Maybe... Hallelujah? But which one? I can go with the Leanord Cohen one, or the one Brendon Urie wrote. To be honest when I saw that title for a Panic! At the Disco song I assumed it was another cover of the first one, but no it just has the same name. ... If someone I know actually walks in on this, I think it’s better if it’s the first one. I really don’t want him to get the wrong idea about me.

 

     How does it start again? Oh right.

 

     “Now I've heard there was a secret chord

That David played, and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do you?”

     The wisp wiggles interested interestedly, and Cat starts purring. Approval! Good. 

 

     “It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth

The minor fall, the major lift

The baffled king composing Hallelujah~”

     I make sure to keep my eyes part way open during the chorus. I don’t want to get startled if more people show up. 

 

     “Your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you

She tied you to a kitchen chair

She broke your throne, and she cut your hair

And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah~”

     No Solas yet, but there are a few silhouettes creeping in around the edge of my room near my desktop.

 

     “You say I took the name in vain

I don't even know the name

But if I did—well, really—what's it to you?

There's a blaze of light in every word

It doesn't matter which you heard

The holy or the broken Hallelujah~” 

     Cat is really calming to pet. Like a chinchilla, with more fur than a cat actually has in real life but I don’t mind, they’re trying their best to be a cat.

 

     This next part is probably the most important one, so it’s good that I can kind of sense the spirits reacting to him being nearby. I’m pretty sure that’s who they see, anyway. They’re kind of parting to make room, and looking back.

 

     “I did my best, it wasn't much

I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch

I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you

And even though it all went wrong

I'll stand before the Lord of Song

With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah...” 

     Yep, there he is. I finish up the final chorus, then wave.

 

     “Solas!”

 

     “ _Making friends, I see.”_ Woah, I can understand him! This is great! I was worried about how I could talk to him without making Shiloh involved.

 

     “Yeah, these two showed up when I first got here! They’re adorable, right?”

 

     He seems a little surprised by my response, but recovers quickly with a raised eyebrow. I can’t tell if he’s surprised I could understand him, or by my... unique personality.

 

     “ _Most wouldn’t describe them as such. You aren’t suspicious of them?_ ”

 

     “No, not really. They’re just curious after all- As far as I’m aware, they haven’t seen anything like me or my room before. I don’t blame them, if I’d never seen a computer before I’d be confused too.”

 

     “... _I’ll admit to some curiosity myself. A... computer?_ ”

 

     “The black square thing on that desk over there.” I point to the other side of the room, across from where I’m sitting on the bed. Huh. “You’re not asking about how I know they’ve never seen anyone like me before?”

 

     He turns back to me after inspecting my desk. “ _I didn’t expect you to answer._ ”

 

     “Why not? I don’t mind. I already told the others- or... _tried_ to tell them I had information to share. Go ahead and ask!”

 

     He looks at me perplexed. “ _You’re certain? Why share personal information with someone you know so little?_ ”

 

     Time to store the pot a bit, I guess. “First of all, that’s how meeting people goes, isn’t it? Everyone’s a stranger at first. Then you exchange tidbits about each other to get to know people. Then those tidbits get bigger and more important until you can say you really know someone. Second, I already know quite a bit about you guys, so. It’s only fair, right?”

 

     He narrows his eyes. He took the hint, I think. “ _... Is that so? How, exactly, do you know me- us- so well?_ ”

 

     “I have some prior knowledge about what’s going to happen. I kind of want to wait until everyone’s in the loop to share it all though, if that’s ok. It’s only fair, if it involves everyone, right? Suffice to say, I like you guys and I want to make sure everything ends up in a good way.”

 

     “ _How do you classify ‘a good way’ in this case? There’s a hole in the sky. Is the best case for you the closing of the breach?_ ”

 

     “It doesn’t end there, but that’s definitely part of it.” I snort. “I know you’re trying to find out how much I know. I don’t intend to share secrets without the express permission of the person who they’re owned by, unless that person is an irredeemable ass waffle, in which case I really couldn’t give less of a shit what the striped stockings corpse man thinks.”

 

     He raises an eyebrow. “ _... Striped stockings corpse man?_ ”

 

     “The Elder One. The guy who probably brought me here in the first place. And before you ask if I think I’m here through some divine will slash ‘providence’ as Cassandra puts it, I don’t know. I’m keeping my options open, I guess. Just because Corypheus brought me here directly doesn’t mean no one guided that to happen indirectly, you know?”

 

     I can’t read that expression. “ _You aren’t andrastian, I take it?_ ”

 

    Snrk. “Hells, no. I’m not a member of any organized religion to be honest. At least, I’m not part of any widely recognized group or church. You could say I’m agnostic. I believe figures did or do exist, but I have no reason to believe any of them are solely in charge, or that any of them aren’t the same people.” I pause to take a breath. I probably don’t need to though, this is a dream. “But... I am a witch. I do have one entity I kind of... ‘follow’, I guess. It’s more of a partnership than a worship thing though.”

 

     “ _And what entity is that?_ ” At this point, he sits on my desk chair. He gets a little startled when the chair moves a bit more than he expected, and I giggle. No one here has experienced chairs with wheels, I guess.

 

     “Where I’m from, she’s called Baba Yaga. She’s more of a mythical creature than a goddess, a lot of people call her a witch of the wilds. She shows up in a lot of old legends and tales as a character with various names, who either tries to trick or teach the hero lessons, kind of a trickster. It’s not just in one culture either, a lot of places have similar stories just with different names.”

 

     “ _Speaking of culture, you seem rather out of place here. Where are you from, beyond the sea?_ ”

 

     “To be honest, I have no clue if that’s true or not. Where I’m from, people have already found at least 90% of the land of the world. The only places we haven’t looked are under the oceans and past the stars.”

 

     “ _That far? Your people sound well travelled._ ” He sounds intrigued.

 

     “I guess? But to be honest, it’s not really a ‘my people’ sort of accomplishment. We have various cultures back home who discovered places mine hadn’t. And it’s not exactly... the process wasn’t exactly peaceful.”

 

     “ _Oh?_ ”

 

     “I’d assume war is a pretty common thread in many worlds. And empires.” I pet Cat a bit more. “And bigotry. And manifest destiny. Do you guys have a word for manifest destiny?”

 

     “ _That depends on its definition._ ”

 

     “People saying they have the right to take whatever they want because their god- who they also claim has ‘chosen them’- says they can.”

 

     “ _Ah. Yes, that’s happened before._ ”

 

     “Yeah.” I sigh. What a long and exhausting conversation to have after not being able to have one for a while, sheesh. “That got... a bit heavy. Sorry, I went on a tangent.”

 

     “ _No worries. The conversation was quite enlightening, in fact._ ” He stands up from the chair.

 

     Hells, I’m sure it was. Oof. “Hey, before you go- I know the little one next to me is a wisp, but do you have any idea what this one’s name is? I’ve just been calling them Cat and it feels a bit rude.”

 

     “ _Oh?_ ” He inspects the spirit currently purring on my lap. “ _It seems to be a young spirit, perhaps recently formed. If I had to guess, I believe it’s a spirit of Repose._ ”

 

     “Repose? That means calm, right? Fitting!” Hmm. “That’s a pretty formal sounding name for such a young one though. A nickname might be nice. Oooh! Posey! That’s perfect!”

 

     Solas chuckles. “ _Varric was right. It’s hard to tell your age- you seem older than you should be one moment, then have a moment of childlike innocence the next.”_

     “Yeah, yeah. I know, I look more like a weird, sick-looking child. My eyebags could hold barrels. But I swear, I am 21. I just have some... mental and physical issues that make me uniquely weird.”

 

     “ _Such as?_ ”

 

     “Where would I even begin? Besides, I don’t know how long we’ve been here, but I have a feeling it’s almost time to... ‘wake up’?” Wiggle brows.

 

     His expression becomes more serious for a moment, then he sighs. “ _You’re certainly an odd person, Pristine. Though I suppose you’re right, I will need to wait to learn what you know._ ” He gives me a narrow-eyed look. “ _Understand, however. I will learn what you know eventually. And if you intend to endanger-_ “

 

     “Solas. Dude. You’re getting a little intense here. I literally just said I’ll be telling everyone what I know- _so long as I have the permission of the individual it belongs to_ , unless they’re an asshole like Corypheus. I’m not going around blackmailing people here.”

 

     He’s silent for a moment, as he holds his look. Then he raises an eyebrow. “ _... You are very sure about this, aren’t you._ ”

 

     I laugh. “Hells, no! I have some inkling of what I’m doing but specifics of each bit of the plan? Fuck no. Now, is there anything else you wanna ask before I wake up? Cus. If I sleep in, my sleep schedule is going to go back to nocturnal mode and that won’t end well.”

 

     He chuckles, as he stands up. “ _No. I will leave you be, I’ve intruded in your space long enough tonight. Though, I do have a request._ ”

 

     “Hm?” I start petting Posey again.

 

     “ _Tell me more of your world in the future. It makes for an interesting conversation topic._ ”

 

     I snort again. “Sure. I have no doubt it’s going to be a very popular one in the coming days. Especially from Varric and some others- Oy vey he and Josie are going to be insatiable.”

 

     He nods, and disappears. For a while longer, I relax with Posey and the wisp, humming in relative silence. Other than a few curious spirits who watch from a distance, no one else visits. It’s a pretty satisfying night.

 

     And then I wake up.

———

     While I wait for the rest of the inquisition to finish setting everything up, I have time to think about how I’m going to explain myself. Because a lot of other people would, in my place, hold off telling anyone what they know until much later when they think it’s safe, or when the information is forced out of them. In another world, like Naruto for instance, I’d probably do just that. In that world it wouldn’t be safe to share what I know until I’d be sure no one would spread the information around willy-nilly, too many people behind the scenes would eavesdrop, kill me for knowing too much, or try to kidnap me for their own agenda. 

 

     Here though, it’s different. I have a filter through Shiloh, who I trust with my entire being, as well as a position of some importance to the inquisition and therefore protection. I trust it’s safe to tell them because they can’t risk losing my mark, and they’ll have to work with me until the breach is sealed at least. There’s also the whole “Herald” thing- while I’m not sure Andraste is the direct reason I’m here, a lot of people here do. It lends some credence to my other-worldly story. If I was sent here by the Maker, who’s to say they didn’t give me prior knowledge of what’s going to happen? And even if they don’t believe me, the events coming up will definitely help me convince them somewhat.

 

     That isn’t to say I’m going to reveal everything I know- I’m not showing what I know about some people to everyone else. I fully believe they should be the ones to tell people themselves, it’s not my place. Also, I want to at least talk to everyone individually at some point- hopefully convincing _some of them_ tochange their mindsabout _certain things._ Looking at you, Solas.

 

     Of course, there’s also the other inner circle. The characters only I really know back in my world. They’re going to be a bit... tricky. I’ve met Shiloh and Osiria, they’ll be very helpful, and they have similar goals to me. The others- I’ve seen one or two of them around Haven, but I haven’t approached them yet. I know I’ll meet at least two or three of them soon, the Trevelyans  usually stick together after all, and Jaimie is going to be important to the Inquisition with her mages. Haven’t seen the Lavellans yet, but they should be ok. In my story, they evacuated the Conclave before it blew up after being warned by Shiloh and set up camp further down the mountain with Cadash. And since Jaimie and her group got the same warning from Shiloh and they made it out, I know Sahrel and Olivia are safe and with Elisa.

 

     Then there’s the Valo-kas. Osiria has left the group before the conclave was even arranged and kept in touch. They weren’t even in the temple before it blew, and they left after rightfully assuming it was too dangerous to stay. We might be able to recruit their help later. I hope so, my Shokrakar and Cassandra are so cute together.

 

     The game’s inner circle will be recruited as normal, of course. I plan to reveal the knowledge I have multiple times as we take them in, repeating what I know is better than keeping some out of the loop, or worse making everyone wait until after the breach is sealed the first time.

 

     Thinking about everyone we’ll be bringing in brings up another point- no not the mage vs templar thing that’s a different point altogether. An important point, but still. I wonder if the fact I have multiple Hawkes and Wardens will change the story at all? I know Gerard would never leave Anders and Fenris behind. And Aahil isn’t one to let Morrigan and their son go so easily. Then there’s Abeera as queen... Oof, my head. This is emotionally tiring me.

 

     The point is moot for now, anyway. I watched Cullen put up the sign on the Chantry door today. I’m going to have to pull my social skills together soon. Time to explain myself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also yay! no translation needed in this chapter. a brief vacation before the next chapter where there will probably be a Lot.


	10. The Whole Ordeal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come for me to explain what I know, and how I know it. I’m not sure which part will unsettle them more. I can only hope they won’t end up hating me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fucking hell, you have no idea how long it took me to just figure out how to go about writing this part. I have pretty intense second hand empathy, so I felt like I was actually putting my life on the line and really felt nervous writing this until everything was over. so enjoy that.

     Over the next few nights I take the time to learn how the fade works and how I can interact with it. I also get to know Posey and Wisp a bit more- Posey has a lot of distinctly not cat-like features. In addition to having more fur than any cat would have, she has the pupils of a goat instead of the normal slits. Her “claws” are also non-retractable, like a dog’s. Though some cats do have that same feature, cheetahs in particular. Also, her voice is an odd mix of animals. In addition to her ability to purr, she can also trill like a song bird and bark like a dog. She can also mimic speech like a parakeet, apparently. She particularly likes the word “Creeping”.

 

     Wisp is rather playful compared to Posey. They like darting through the air to look at things they hadn’t noticed before- or things they had but forgotten they’d noticed. Not much of an attention span, but I can relate to that. They’ve taken a real liking to the cat plushie, it’s become their favorite spot to perch.

 

     Solas comes by for a bit every so often, and we talk about the differences between our worlds. I did end up telling him about my mental issues, which he seemed to be both confused and understanding about. He got the whole depression and anxiety thing, but the maladaptive daydreaming and autism gave him a bit of pause. Maybe those traits were considered normal in Arlathan? I asked him at some point if he could lend me some supplies to draw with.

 

     “ _Ah, I was wondering about that. You do have quite a few sketchbooks on your desk._ ”

 

     He said yes, so hopefully I’ll be able to start drawing again soon. It feels like it’s been ages. I had to make sure he’d get supplies that wouldn’t aggravate my sensory issues, but he understood.

 

     Just as he was about to leave, I remembered something.

 

     “Oh, by the way, Solas.”

 

     “Hm?”

 

     “I’m right handed, so don’t worry about it.”

 

     He looked confused, but he’ll understand in the future.

 

———

 

     The day has come. Shiloh came to get me in the morning, and she had the clothes I’d commissioned from Harrit ready. She led me to stand outside the Chantry with the others for the unfurling of the inquisition banner, and then walked with me to the war room.

 

     Ugh, I’m nervous. It’s one thing to make a plan, be comfortable and sure about that plan, and it’s another to actually enact said plan. But I need to do this, and I’m going to. This is for their benefit, after all. I’m a terrible liar anyway- makes me extremely guilty and anxious. I’d die.

 

     The war room is a bit more crowded than the scene in game- other than Shiloh, who has to translate for me, I also asked for Varric, Solas, and Osiria to be there for the explanation. It’s fair this way, and while I’m going to explain it to everyone we recruit to the inner circle anyway, it’s easier to explain in groups. When I mentioned the Trevelyans, they were a bit confused, but agreed.

 

———

 

     We gather in the war room, Advisors and Trevelyans on one side, companions to either side, and me, Shiloh, Osiria, and Cassandra on the other. I look around, no one looks particularly angry or happy, just confused mostly, so this could end up any which way.

 

     Glancing at Shiloh, she nods and gives me a thumbs up. Urgh, it’s now or never I guess.

 

     I clear my throat.

 

     “I’m pretty sure Shiloh already told you this, but I have information to share regarding the breach and... a lot of other stuff.” I pause, to let Shiloh catch up.

 

     “The truth is... before the breach opened up- or the person who opened it began putting his plan in motion... I didn’t exist in Thedas.”

 

     Everyone but Osiria, who already knew about Earth, and Solas, who I already talked to somewhat, are shocked. Oooh Leliana looks calculating, that’s sort of freaking me out. I need to get this going before I’m stopped.

 

     “I come from somewhere else. No, not the fade. Actually, where I’m from, we don’t have anything like the fade, or flashy magics, or really anything like what you have here. We’re more the... technological type.”

 

     Varric interrupts. “Og, _what_? Voru allir deyja út?” Shiloh gasps, and turns quickly to translate for me.

 

     “ _Jesus_ , no! Though, I should mention people tried to kill people they believed to be witches a couple centuries ago... But really, people just don’t believe it exists. I do, but ours is more subtle.”

 

     Now Solas perks up. “Lúmskur? Hvernig þá?”

 

     “It’s... not elemental? Not really visual at all, it’s invisible other than some of the rituals needed to perform it. In magic communities where I’m from, usually we focus on potion work, runes, and sigils, as well as some divination.”

 

     “Spádómar? Er það hvernig _you_ fékkst þessar upplýsingar?”

 

     “Well... kind of? It’s more like... hm. I’ll use an analogy. It’s like my world has a window to yours.” They look a bit wary, but not horrified. “But it’s not just _one_ window, it’s like a window that’s... fragmented, each piece of glass with a different version of Thedas.” I see Osiria nodding along. She gets it, of course.

 

     “Everyone who looks out that broken window, looks through their own bit of glass. One person sees the hero of fereldan becoming queen, another sees the hero disappearing through a mirror following his lover and their son. They might also see the Champion of Kirkwall fighting against Meredith, or with her only to be betrayed in the end.”

 

     Cullen furrows his brow. “Ég get ekki ímyndað mér að Hawke fjölskyldan berjast gegn galdra notendum ...”

 

     I pause, letting Shiloh enter my mind and translate. I snort. “Well, at least I’m getting a sense of which shard I fell into...

 

     “Anyway, that’s the analogy. But it gets a bit more complicated. A person who sees through a fragment can also... manipulate it, just a bit. Now don’t- don’t panic, it’s more like they rotate and rearrange the pieces. It has no bearing on your version of Thedas, it just lets them see their own version of it more clearly. Some people have multiple shards to look through, different versions of this reality they switch between. Me... I kind of just glued a bunch of pieces together, I guess?”

 

     Jaimie gasps, and the others are also shocked. Shit, I might have messed up!

 

     “ _Wait, wait_ \- Hvað ertu að reyna að segja hér? Að þú ert framleiðandi eða eitthvað?” Varric narrows his eyes, and everyone stares at me very intently, all with different expressions. Except Osiria, who’s giving me a sympathetic pursed mouth and wrinkled brows.

 

      “What? No! No, I’m not the Maker. I’m not any kind of deity. I’m... fuck. Shit. I’ve lost control of the analogy. I’m going to try again. Have you ever read a choose your own adventure book?” While Shiloh copies what I said, I see Cassandra’s eyes light up a bit. Oh thank goddess, I can use this analogy.

 

     “Well, our view of your world is like that. Everyone goes through the book differently, but all the pages still exist right? It doesn’t actually change anything. When I ‘read’ the book, I just read a lot of pages that don’t always fit together like others would.” Because I like happy endings.

 

     Cullen pipes up. “ _How_ nákvæmlega er þetta mögulegt? _You_ _say_ að _you_ hafir fallið í gegnum _storybook_?”

 

     “Not... literally? At least, I don’t think that’s how it happened. It’s ironic, really- I know about Thedas, but I don’t know how I ended up in it. I know how things might have ended up without me here, though. So... that’s what I want to share. I want to help.”

 

     Everyone is silent for a minute or two, all of them processing what I’ve told them. All of them look a bit somber, but some actually seem a bit... excited? Varric and Josephine in particular- oh dear.

 

     Josephine comes around the table to face me. “ _I_ _have_ svo margar spurningar! _What_ er heimurinn þinn eins og? _How_ öðruvísi er það frá okkar? _What_ er menningin eins og þarna? _Oh, I_ _am_ svo forvitinn!”

 

     Shiloh, quickly recovering from all the information I just dumped on everyone, laughs. “ _Ms._ Josie, hægðu á þér!  _They_  hafa ekki einu sinni haft  _time_   _to_  að ná andanum!”

 

     Josephine blushes, with a sheepish smile. “Auðvitað, afsakanir mínir. Það er bara - það eru svo margt sem ég vil vita _now_!”

 

     Shiloh giggles again. Leliana interjects, clearing her throat.

 

     “Auðvitað, en kannski ættum við að finna svörin við fleiri mikilvægum spurningum, _first_.” She turns to me, intently. “Til að byrja, _who_ skapaði brotið?”

 

     “An ancient being, an old magister who’s become corrupted over time by the blight and... other materials. He calls himself the elder one now, but...” I glance at Varric with a wince. “... Some of you have met him before. His name is Corypheus.”

 

     Varric groans. “Skít.”

 

     “It gets worse. The ‘other materials’ I mentioned is red lyrium. Growing out his body every which way. Might be why there’s some in the temple, or that could be because of the gross magic he uses. Hard to say.”

 

     He groans again, thumping his head onto the table. Cullen is also pinching the bridge of his nose.

 

     Leliana is pensive. “Staðan er verri en _I_ vonaði _then_.” She sighs, leaning over the war table.

 

     “I do have some good- well, good might be stretching it, but I have news that we can probably use to fix this a bit better than we would have had to otherwise.”

 

     “ _Oh_?  _And what is_ _that_?” FIRST FULL SENTENCE! Thank you Cassandra!

 

     “I know where we find allies. We still have to go to the Crossroads to find Mother Giselle first, but I know where the mages and templar’s are.”

 

     She brightens up a bit. “ _That **is**  good_ fréttir! Kannski getum við í raun skipt á máli í stríðinu!”

 

     “We still have to find out how to approach them both, but-“

 

     Cullen looks surprised. “Bæði? _You_ _aren’t_ velja hlið?”

 

     “No. There are people in danger on both sides, and I don’t mean because of the main rebellion. The striped stockings corpse man has his long creepy finger bones in many pies.” Is not letting Barris or Fiona die, thank you very much.

 

     Varric snorts and falls into all-our guffaws. Even Osiria lets out a huff of breathy laughter.

 

     Leliana chuckles, too. “ _I am_ feginn _we aren’t_ að fara inn í þetta í _blind_. Hins vegar ...” She pauses, peering over at me. “Kannski ættum við ekki að læra allt í einu.”

 

     Cassandra looks almost shocked. “Af hverju ekki? Ef við vitum allt, getum við sigrast á öldungum áður en áætlanir hans hefjast!”

 

     “Hugsaðu, Cassandra! _If we_ breytum öllu of fljótt, getur hann breytt áætlunum hans og upplýsingar okkar yrðu gagnslausar! _And what_   _if we_ lendum í njósnari? Hann vildi vita allt sem við höfum lært!” She shakes her head. “ _No_ ,  _we_ verðum að vera varkár. _Herald_ , áður en við gerum allar helstu ákvarðanir, vil ég hafa _insight_. Þangað til þá skaltu ekki gæta þess að sýna of mikið í einu.”

 

     Shiloh and I can barely keep up with the exchange, and it takes a bit longer than usual for me to respond. 

 

     “O... k..?” It’s. Not how I expected her to react, based on how people wrote about her in fan fiction. Maybe because of Nascha’s influence? Or maybe we just misinterpreted her character? Whatever the case, this has gone smoother than expected.

 

     Josephine coughs. “Jæja ... um. _Herald, if you_ gætir _tell me where_ _mages and templars_ búa, get _I_ byrjað að vinna hvernig á að nálgast þær.”

 

     “Oh! Right. Um, the mages are in Redcliffe. The templars are a bit harder to reach, in a hold called Therinfal Redoubt, I’m not sure where exactly it is on a map, the glimpses I had focused more on major events and scenes instead of long and monotonous travel.” Josephine mods, beginning to work on her clipboard. Everyone seems to calm down a bit. I think the ordeal is over, for now.

 

     Well, that... actually ended up ok! At least it feels like it did. Shiloh pats me on the back with a grin. I find myself smiling back shakily. Everything I wanted to explain is on the table now. Now we have to use it properly.

 

     Looking around one last time, I take in everyone’s expressions. Cassandra looks excited, I feel like I’ve reinforced her faith a bit. That’s cool. Leliana and Cullen are contemplating the war table- to be honest I’m just glad they didn’t react badly. They don’t seem to think of me differently, at least not in a dangerous way. Jaimie, Evangeline, and Harice are talking quietly amongst themselves. They must be wondering why I wanted them here to learn about this, but I’m sure I’ll be able to tell them at some point. Solas looks thoughtful- I think he’s even a bit relieved. Maybe he thought I was going to mention the orb? But no. It’s really not important yet, and besides it’s not really the problem here, Corypheus is. Varric is chatting with Shiloh, dunno about what. Josephine is scribbling away with her quill, taking notes. Osiria...

 

     Osiria is still looking at me. Oh yeah, I haven’t told her how I know _her_ yet. And she already knows about how the game works, having been a fan of it when she was still alive and on earth. Of course she’s confused- why would I know about her past when were from the same world and never met?I nod towards the door, telling her to follow me out.

 

     Leaving the war room, we head out of the chantry and towards my little house at the edge of haven. I pluck at my blanket subconsciously as I walk.

 

     We stop outside my door. “Listen, I didn’t want to mention this while we were with the others- really, they don’t have to know about this part. Remember how I said I glued a bunch of pieces together? Well, your story is one of the pieces. So is Shiloh’s, though you probably figured that out already when you heard her last name.” She nods. “I know about your life from before, and I know how your life here played out up until I dropped in. Somehow, I don’t know how, I had your life planted into my imagination. So, yeah. I gotta say, this whole situation with you being reincarnated from a different version of earth? Is complicated and kind of Inception like. So I don’t know how this works whatsoever. All I want you to know is, I have the same goals as you. And I was hoping we could help each other. Is that alright with you?” I hold out my hand.

 

     She nods, and gives it a firm shake.

 

     My knuckles crack. We spend a moment of silence.

 

     “... Sorry, that happens sometimes. My joints are weird.”

 

     She breaks out into breathy, voiceless laughter. After squeezing my shoulder comfortingly(and then frowning a little when she feels my bones), she walks away.

 

     After a few seconds, I break out into a grin and run into my room. I laugh manically, I did it! I explained myself! Everything I wanted to say, I said! And they don’t hate me!! I did it!

 

     I fall into my bed, ecstatic. Finally, I can work with these people and not feel guilty!

 

     I then fall asleep almost immediately. The ordeal was more stressful than I thought.

 

———

Translations:

Og,  _what_? Voru allir deyja út? - So, what? Were all the mages there killed?

 

Lúmskur? Hvernig þá? - Subtle? How so?

 

Spádómar? Er það hvernig  _you_  fékkst þessar upplýsingar? - Divination? Is that how you gained all this information?

 

Ég get ekki ímyndað mér að Hawke fjölskyldan berjast gegn galdra notendum ... - I can’t really imagine the Hawkes fighting against the mages...

 

Hvað ertu að reyna að segja hér? Að þú ert framleiðandi eða eitthvað? - What are you trying to say here? That you’re the Maker?

 

_How_  nákvæmlega er þetta mögulegt?  _You_   _say_  að  _you_  hafir fallið í gegnum  _storybook_? - How is this possible? You say you fell through a storybook?

 

_I_   _have_  svo margar spurningar!  _What_  er heimurinn þinn eins og?  _How_  öðruvísi er það frá okkar?  _What_  er menningin eins og þarna?  _Oh, I_   _am_  svo forvitinn! - I have so many questions! What is your world like? How different is it from ours? What is the culture like there? Oh, I’m so curious!

 

_Ms._ Josie, hægðu á þér!  _They_  hafa ekki einu sinni haft  _time_   _to_  að ná andanum! - Ms. Josie, slow down! They haven’t even had time to catch their breath!

 

Auðvitað, afsakanir mínir. Það er bara - það eru svo margt sem ég vil vita  _now_! - Of course, my apologies. It’s just- There is so much I want to know now!

 

Auðvitað, en kannski ættum við að finna svörin við fleiri mikilvægum spurningum,  _first_. - Of course, but perhaps we should answer more pressing questions, first.

 

Til að byrja,  _who_  skapaði brotið? - To start, who created the breach?

 

Skít. - Shit.

 

Staðan er verri en  _I_  vonaði  _then_. - The situation is worse than I’d hoped, then.

 

_That **is**  good_ fréttir! Kannski getum við í raun skipt á máli í stríðinu! - That _is_ good news! Perhaps we can actually make a difference in the war!

 

Bæði?  _You_   _aren’t_ velja hlið? - Both? You aren’t choosing a side?

 

_I am_ feginn  _we aren’t_ að fara inn í þetta í  _blind_. Hins vegar ... - I am glad we aren’t going into this blind. However...

 

Kannski ættum við ekki að læra allt í einu. - Perhaps we shouldn’t learn all this information at once.

 

Af hverju ekki? Ef við vitum allt, getum við sigrast á öldungum áður en áætlanir hans hefjast! - Why not? If we know everything, we can prevent this Elder One’s plans from ever succeeding!

 

Hugsaðu, Cassandra!  _If we_  breytum öllu of fljótt, getur hann breytt áætlunum hans og upplýsingar okkar yrðu gagnslausar!  _And what_   _if we_  lendum í njósnari? Hann vildi vita allt sem við höfum lært! - Think, Cassandra! If we learn all this now, he may change his plans completely and our information would become useless! And what if we find a spy in our ranks? He would find out everything we know!

 

_No_ ,  _we_  verðum að vera varkár.  _Herald_ , áður en við gerum allar helstu ákvarðanir, vil ég hafa  _insight_. Þangað til þá skaltu ekki gæta þess að sýna of mikið í einu. - No, we must be cautious. Herald, before we make any major decisions, I want your insight. Until then, take care not to show too much at once.

 

Jæja ... um.  _Herald, if you_  gætir  _tell me where_   _mages and templars_  búa, get  _I_  byrjað að vinna hvernig á að nálgast þær. - Well... um. Herald, if you could tell me where the mages and templar’s are, I can start to work on how we can approach them.


	11. Planning and Proper Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have a plan! Now we have to act on it- but before that, I apparently need to learn how to run away and hide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jsus i’m so sorry it’s been so long since i updated, times have been hectic. coming up on the end of my school year tho, just five more weeks! after that schedule should be a lot more regular.

     The next day, Cassandra leads me back to the chantry. I keep trying to stare at my hand, but my eyes keep getting tired. Damn halo effect of these glasses. When Dagna gets here, maybe she can help make me some new ones.

 

     Cassandra finally notices my staring as we finally enter the building, and we stop for a moment. Shiloh is already here, so she comes over to join us.

 

     “Ertu _it_... vandræðum með _you_?”

 

     Does it trouble me? No, not really. I’m curious about how it connects to my hand though. Is it a hole leading to the fade? Somewhere else? Or is it just glowing because it’s magic, and there’s no hole at all?

 

     “No, don’t worry. I’m just trying to find out if I can see through it.”

 

     Shiloh looks intrigued. “Ooh! _Good_ spurning! _Can I_ reynt?”

 

     I show her my mark. She holds it up to her face, one eye squeezed shut and the other focusing on staring into my palm. After a moment, she lets go and rubs her eyes.

 

     “Did you see something?”

 

     “ _No_ , _but there are_ blettur alls staðar _now_ _and_ höfuðið mitt er sárt!”

 

     Aw, oh well. 

 

     Cassandra shakes her head and chuckles at our antics, and we continue to the war room.

 

     Now that the explanation was over with, there aren’t as many people crammed into the room, and I can actually be introduced. Jaimie is still there, though- I guess the others understood she’d be a good advisor in terms of magic.

 

     Cassandra clears her throat. “ _Now_ , þar sem _we_ komumst ekki _to_ kynna _you_ _everyone_ í gær ...

 

     “ _May I_ kynna yfirmann Cullen, _leader_ hersveitir _Inquisition_.”

 

      Yfirmann means commander, ok.

 

     He sighs. “Eins og þeir eru. _We_   _lost_   _many_ _men_ í dalnum _and I_ óttast _many_ fleiri _before_  en þetta er lokið.”

 

     Cassandra continues. “ _This is_ kona Josephine Montilyet, sendiherra _our_   _and_  yfirvaldsmaður.” This grammar is confusing. I hope I never have to say that last one our loud, I’d hurt myself.

 

     “ _We_ hittumst í gær. _Ég_ biðst afsökunar á ógæfu _my_ , _I am just_ mjög forvitinn um heiminn _your_.”

 

     “ _And of course_ , _you have_ r hitt _sister_ Leliana.”

 

     “ _I am_ viss um að _you_ skilur nú þegar eðli vinnunnar.”

 

     After Shiloh translates this for me, Leliana raises an eyebrow and I chuckle sheepishly.

 

     Cassandra continues. “Og að lokum, _this is_ kona Jaimie Trevelyan. _She_ hefur umsjón með _mages_ _in_ _inquisition_.”

 

     Jaimie gives a small smile. “ _I was not_ viss af hverju _I was part_ til fundar _of yesterday_ , _but then_ spurðu þeir mig um að verða ráðgjafi. _I_ _guess_ _that_ vegna? _You knew that_ það myndi gerast?”

 

     Not entirely, but I nod.

 

     After a few moments of silence, I realize they’re waiting on my response.

 

     “Ah! Right. It’s nice to meet you all. My name is Pristine.”

 

     Nodding, Cassandra moves on.

 

     “Þar sem _we know now_ þegar nafn óvinarins _our_ , verðum _we to find_ _out_ hvernig á _to_ _fight_ _we him_.”

 

     Leliana continues, addressing me. “ _You_ áttir _right about_  Hinterlands. Kirkjufræðingur með nafni _mother_ Giselle hefur beðið um _speak with you_.”

 

     “ _We know you_ _want_ valið að nálgast bæði _templar’s and mages for help,_ _but_ enginn hópur mun tala _with our_ ennþá. _The Chantry_ ,  _has of course,_  fordæmt _us_.” Josephine sounds a bit sheepish, but recovers. “ _But_ vegar _I have_ unnið með tengiliðum mínum _to_ bæta líkurnar á fundi með _both_ _sides_.” She says, excitedly.

 

     “Ok, then. Should I get ready for a long trip down the mountain, then?”

 

     Cullen interjects. “ _Before that, we_ þurfum _to talk about_  hæfileika _your_.”

 

     “Abilities? Do you mean the mark, or my shoddy combat skills?”

 

     He winces.

 

     “Combat, then. Erm, yeah that’s going to be an issue. I’m not the best when it comes to physical health, especially compared to people here.”

 

     Cassandra looks up at the ceiling, thinking. After a moment, she speaks. “Kannski ættum _we should_ einbeita _us to_ varnarmálum _and_  svikum, _for now_. Móðgandi færni getur bíða þangað _until_ _you have_ breytt þér.”

 

     Shiloh translates this as _Learn to evade and block, Don’t worry about fighting!,_ _Мы можем бороться за тебя!_ and I sigh with relief.

 

     “Ok. I’m glad, I was worried we’d end up wasting time trying to teach me how to do something I can’t.” Before Cassandra continues, I add one last bit. “Ahh but don’t worry, I know this’ll still be work-intensive.”

 

     She grunts with a nod.

 

     Leliana cuts in. “ _Now that we_ höfum áætlun, _I will send my scouts_ _to the_ hinterlands _to find_ upplýsingar _and_ auðlindir meðan  _we_   undirbúum ferðina _your_.”

 

     I nod, and after a moment of no one saying anything, I start to edge towards the door. Shiloh giggles, waving goodbye to the others, and walks back out of Haven’s chantry with me.

 

Translations:

———

Ertu  _it_... vandræðum með  _you_? - Does it... trouble you?

_Good_  spurning!  _Can I_ reynt? - Good question! Can I try?

_No_ ,  _but there are_ blettur alls staðar  _now_   _and_  höfuðið mitt er sárt! - No, but there are spots everywhere now and my head hurts!

_Now_ , þar sem  _we_  komumst ekki  _to_  kynna  _you_   _everyone_  í gær ... - Now, since we didn’t get the chance to introduce everyone yesterday...

_May I_  kynna yfirmann Cullen,  _leader_  hersveitir  _Inquisition_. - May I present Commander Cullen, leader of the Inquisition’s forces.

Eins og þeir eru.  _We_   _lost_   _many_   _men_  í dalnum  _and I_  óttast  _many_  fleiri  _before_  en þetta er lokið. - Such as they are. We lost many soldiers in the valley, and I fear many more before this is through.

_This is_  kona Josephine Montilyet, sendiherra  _our_   _and_  yfirvaldsmaður. - This is Lady Josephine Montilyet, Inquisition ambassador and our chief diplomat.

_We_  hittumst í gær.  _Ég_  biðst afsökunar á ógæfu  _my_ ,  _I am just_  mjög forvitinn um heiminn  _your. -_ We met yesterday. I apologize again for my rudeness, I am just so curious about your world.

_And of course_ ,  _you have_ r hitt  _sister_  Leliana. - And of course, you’ve met sister Leliana.

_I am_ viss um að  _you_  skilur nú þegar eðli vinnunnar. - I am sure you already understand the nature of my work.

Og að lokum,  _this is_  kona Jaimie Trevelyan.  _She_  hefur umsjón með  _mages_   _in_   _inquisition_. - And finally, this is lady Jaimie Trevelyan. She oversees the Inquisition’s mages.

_I was not_  viss af hverju  _I was part_  til fundar  _of yesterday_ ,  _but then_  spurðu þeir mig um að verða ráðgjafi.  _I_   _guess_   _that_  vegna?  _You knew that_  það myndi gerast? - I wasn’t sure why I’d been included in yesterday’s meeting, but then they asked me to become an advisor. I assume that’s why? You knew that would happen?

Þar sem  _we know now_  þegar nafn óvinarins  _our_ , verðum  _we to find_   _out_  hvernig á  _to_   _fight_   _we him_. - Since we now know our enemy’s name, we should move on to how we’ll fight him.

_You_  áttir  _right about_  Hinterlands. Kirkjufræðingur með nafni  _mother_  Giselle hefur beðið um  _speak with you. -_ You were right about the Hinterlands. A chantry cleric by the name of Mother Giselle has asked to speak to you.

_We know you_   _want_  valið að nálgast bæði  _templar’s and mages for help,_   _but_  enginn hópur mun tala  _with our_  ennþá.  _The Chantry_ ,  _has of course,_  fordæmt  _us_. - We know you want help from both the mages and the templars, but neither group will speak to us yet. The Chantry, of course, has denounced us.

_But_  vegar  _I have_  unnið með tengiliðum mínum  _to_  bæta líkurnar á fundi með  _both_   _sides_. - But I’ve been working with my contacts to improve our chances to meet with both sides.

_Before that, we_  þurfum  _to talk about_  hæfileika  _your_. - Before that, we need to talk about your abilities.

Kannski ættum  _we should_  einbeita  _us to_  varnarmálum  _and_  svikum,  _for now_. Móðgandi færni getur bíða þangað  _until_   _you have_  breytt þér. - Maybe we should focus on defense and stealth, for now. Offensive skills can wait until you’ve adapted.

_Мы можем бороться за тебя! -_ We can fight for you!

_Now that we_  höfum áætlun,  _I will send my scouts_   _to the_  hinterlands  _to find_  upplýsingar  _and_  auðlindir meðan  _we_   undirbúum ferðina  _your_. - Now that we have a plan, I will send my scouts out to gather information and resources while we prepare for your trip.


	12. Health and Fitness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that explanations are out of the way, I have to be put through the proverbial ringer and my paces. Good thing I’ve got a doctor’s note to tell my P.E. teachers to not push me too hard. Thanks, Osi!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had to rewrite this chapter after losing the first version just as i was about to copy and paste it. please clap

key: -Written Word.-

      “Spoken Word.”

      “ _ Translated Thedasian. _ ”

———

    Now the physical labor begins. Before any training can start, Osiria gives me a full medical checkup.

 

    -You’re very underweight, you know this?- Since this is a private checkup, she’s using her slate to write to me in english.

 

    “Oh I’m aware. Very keenly aware, even.” I cough awkwardly, and try to stretch my back with a couple of pops. “It’s a combination of issues. Mainly mental ones, but I also have a very fast metabolism and small appetite.”

 

    -What sorts of mental issues are you referring to?- She asks, while bending me over to check for scoliosis, which she’ll find a minor case of.

 

    “Autism, depression, anxiety- But autism is the one affecting my appetite the most. I have very high sensitivity when it comes to textures, especially in food. For instance I can’t stand when something is mostly gooey but also dry- like burnt or clotted cheese on a pizza. Can’t stomach it. Same with scrambled eggs with dry crackly edges.”

 

    -If you end up eating it, does it come back up?- She asks, while making notes on a piece of parchment to the side.

 

    “Usually my body just refuses to swallow it. Can’t go back up if it was never down in the first place, right?” She starts taking my pulse. “Also applies to medicines, both liquid and solid. I once took tuna only to throw up later, and I gag I have to take any chalky syrup or chewable pills.”

 

    -I see. My sister is the same in that regard. Speaking of.- She pauses for a moment while writing, and stares at the slate before continuing. -What happened to her? If that’s a question you can answer.-

 

    “Of course! She’s fine. She didn’t end up in Thedas, she’s somewhere else. Remember that show you watched together?”

 

    She stares at me incredulously. -She’s in Supernatural?-

 

    “Yep.”

 

    -Goodness.-

 

    “She’s doing fine, like I said. She’s mostly just someone the brothers can consult on spirit related issues, with her being a medium and all.” I snort. “Also she’s ended up in a relationship with Gabriel.”

 

    She huffs into breathy laughter. -Truly? If I didn’t know better I’d say that was out of character, but.-

 

    We laugh together for a little while, before Osiria lets me put my shirt back on and ends the appointment.

 

    -I’ll make some recommendations to the others. It’s for the best if they don’t work you too hard too fast.-

 

    “Or too furious?”

 

    She swats me with the parchment, and sends me out of the cabin and on my way.

———

 

    Thank goodness the others respect her judgment, because if this training was any more intense I’d probably be dry heaving every other hour. As it is, I just get winded and sore- which is better than the last time I had a gym class. Other than the basic jogging and sprinting and ducking and what have you, they’re also teaching me how to jab with the staff/polearm Harrit made me. It’s a bit tiring, but not as exhausting as swinging it would be. I’m not a violent person anyway, I’m content with pushing away enemies for allies to deal with instead. It’s preferable to hurting my shoulders with heavy swords and shields, or getting in too close with knives and daggers.

 

    It’s not just physical training I’m going through, either- Shiloh and Osiria are teaching me the basics of their language. Shiloh’s focusing on basic fereldan vocab-like how to say “my name is” or “nice to meet you”- and Osi is teaching me a couple of phrases in her version of sign language. Thankfully I already know the alphabet, so even in a pinch I can understand her without needing her to use a slate.

 

    But goddess is thedasian pronunciation difficult.

———

 

    The entire week and a half has the same schedule every day- Wake up, Wash up, Breakfast, Speed Training, Lunch, Vocabulary, Combat Training, Dinner, Stretch, Sleep. And then, the Fade. Rinse and Repeat.

 

    While the work outside the Fade gets a bit monotonous after a few days of it, in my dreams things get a lot less repetitive. I continue the trend of singing Posey and Wispy a new song every night, and then cuddle with them until I wake up. Sometimes Solas comes by with questions about Earth. I also surprise him with a few questions of my own.

 

    “ _ Oh? I thought you already knew these things. _ ”

 

    “Not everything!” I get where he’s coming from though, so I’ll just try to explain it with liberal further use of my broken window metaphor. “Picture the shards of glass again. Imagine that you can see most of the outside, but some parts are obscured- maybe the glass has warped or bubbled, maybe it got smudged when someone looked too closely, maybe there’s dust or dirt on it.”

 

    He nods slowly. “ _ I see… what’s the reason behind this knowledge not being mentioned in the ‘story’ of this world, as you described it? _ ”

 

    “Have you ever read a book where the author takes the time to mention every time the protagonist needs to take a shit? Or mention something like the intricacies of the world's economy and trade routes when it has no bearing on the story?”

 

    “ _ Ah, I see. The ‘author’ didn’t want to bog the reader down in unnecessary detail. _ ”

 

    “Exactly. Now can you please explain to me why the Fuck people keep leaving books everywhere?? They could get moldy, especially in wet snow!”

———

 

    As slow as the week and a half had seemed while I was slogging through it, it also felt shorter than it was. It was finally time to travel down the Frostbacks and into the Hinterlands.

 

    Osiria’s recommendations came through once again, as it was decided that I should sit in a cart as we made the trip down. In an effort to save time and keep me healthy, it was decided that I not walk the whole way down myself. Less rest stops this way.

 

    In the game, the trip takes a few minutes while the game loads everything in, but in real life I’m certain it’ll take at least a week. I say goodbye to the nice bed I’ve been sleeping in for the past few weeks, thankful that I’m at least taking my blanket with me.

 

    I just hope I don’t get motion sick.


	13. Bound Like Ribbon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trek begins, but that’s not important. What is important is proper introductions- Faded Edition!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my back hurts and i can’t sleep so have a short chapter

    The first day of travel wasn’t very interesting- all we could see was snow covered forest. There weren’t any animals either, probably still scared off by the breach. Unlike the bugs at Haven. Those crazy rodents fear nothing.

 

    The first night went pretty much the same as usual, with the fade room. That is until Shiloh pops in for a chat too, which I didn’t expect.

 

    “Is that you, Shi? What are you doing here?”

 

    “ _ Just dropping in, _ ” She giggles. “ _ I wanted to properly introduce you! _ ”

 

    “Introduce me-?”

 

    Suddenly, two forms step out from behind Shiloh, connected to each other by their long hair. Oh, that makes sense.

 

    “ _ I forgot to do this earlier, until Intu reminded me! _ ”

 

    “Well, I’m happy to finally meet them! Good to see you, Intuition and Insight.”

 

_ Greetings, Prophet! _ Says Insight.

 

_ We knew you’d be good to Shiloh.  _ Continues Intuition.

 

    “I’m glad, if you thought I wouldn’t be I’d have to reevaluate my life choices and personality.”

 

_ That is how we knew!  _ Says Insight, with a serene smile.  _ You hold good intentions for her! _

 

_     And others. I worry you do not hold enough care for yourself. _

 

__ Ahh, motherly concern. We meet again. “Well, I have been thinking about that.”

 

    “ _ About what? _ ”

 

    “About what I have to do to keep safe here. Yeah I have a somewhat better survival rate with the skills you guys gave me, but learning a language takes time.” I take a second to think about how to phrase things. “So… I think you should take the lead instead.”

 

    “ _ What? _ ” Shiloh says, confused. “ _ You mean in conversations? _ ”

 

_ In more than that…  _ Intu interjects, tinting their head.

 

    “Listen, I’m not a figurehead. I’m not a leader. I’m not the best at making decisions for a group of people.” I take a deep breath. “I want to help, but if I help like that I’ll crash and burn. I’d rather be a side character. So…”

 

    I look up, meeting Shiloh’s eyes. “... So I wanted to ask if you’d be my front. You know, be the figurehead. I lead in the back, you lead in the front. N-not like a puppet! Like a partner. Does that… make sense?” Goddess I hope that made sense.

 

    She takes a few moments to think, while I pet Posey to gather myself again after that rambling mess.

 

    Insi comments first.  _ They’re sincere! They do believe they need help!  _

 

_     Their theory is also sound.  _ Adds Intu.

 

    After another moment, Shiloh nods. 

 

    “ _ I like this idea! It’ll keep you safer. Makes you less of a target!” _

 

__ “...I worry about Mariel’s influence on you sometimes…” Less of a target, sheesh- the tallest Hawks has a very blunt way of putting things that rubs off on Shiloh in various ways.

 

    “ _ Nonsense! Anyway, I’ll do it. It’ll be fun! The Daring Duo!” _

 

__ “Erm…”

 

    “ _ The Terrific Teammates!” _

 

__ “Shiloh-“

 

    “ _ The Future Fixers!” _

 

__ “Okay, that’s enough alliteration for now. We should probably get some actual rest- out of the fade and in our heads?” I huff a laugh. “But you can call us whatever you want when we wake up. Besides, we should probably mention this plan to the others, anyway.”

 

    Shiloh laughs. “ _ You got it, comrade! _ ” As she turns to leave, I can see the connection between her, Intu, and Insi. The twins are connected by the hair, which also connects to the back of Shiloh’s body like ribbons in a corset.

 

    When they disappear, I sigh. Posey meows, probably wondering why.

 

    “She’s been through a lot, especially with those two. I’m glad they like me.”

 

    Posey purrs, rubbing her face into my stomach as I lay back onto my bed.

 

    “...It’s a good thing they found her before Kirkwall.”


End file.
